Patent Application
20200354994
The present invention relates to an inside handle device.
A device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is known as an inside handle device mounted on an indoor side wall surface of a vehicle door.
In a related-art example, the inside handle device is formed by rotatably connecting a lock knob and an inner door handle to a handle base, and the other end of a cable whose one end is connected to a latch mechanism is connected to the inner door handle.
The inner door handle and the cable are connected by fitting a spherical end portion formed at a tip end of the cable (inner cable) into an engagement hole formed in the inner door handle.
In the above-described related-art example, the work of engaging the end portion of the inner cable with the engagement hole of the inner door handle is troublesome.
One or more embodiments provide an inside handle device of a vehicle in which a connecting operation of a cable device is easy.
In an aspect (1), an inside handle device of a vehicle includes a handle base and a cable holding case. The inside handle device is connected to a door latch device fixed to a door via a cable device in which an inner cable is inserted into an outer cable, and is configured to remotely control the door latch device. The handle base is configured to swingably support a handle body. The handle body includes an operation portion capable of being operated from a front surface at one end portion and a cable connection recessed portion opening to a back surface direction at another end portion. The cable holding case includes a cable fixing portion configured to fix one end of the outer cable. The cable holding case is configured to hold a handle connecting portion formed at one end of the inner cable and capable of being connected to the handle base, and configured to lock the handle connecting portion in a connected state to a cable connection recessed portion of the handle body. The cable holding case is capable of releasing the connection with the handle base by a connection release force in the back surface direction obtained by converting a direction of a load applied to the cable fixing portion in a pulling direction by the outer cable.
According the aspect (1), the inside handle device includes the handle base 8 rotatably connected to the handle body 7 and the cable holding case 11 to which the outer cable 1 of the cable device 3 is fixed on the cable fixing portion 9. By connecting the cable holding case 11 to the handle base 8 by an appropriate connecting means, the handle connecting portion 10 of the inner cable 2 held by the cable holding case 11 is locked in the cable connection recessed portion 6 of the handle body 7, and thereafter an rotating operation force applied to the handle body 7 is transmitted to the door latch device 4 via the inner cable 2.
Therefore, the handle connecting portion 10 of the inner cable 2 can be connected to the handle body 7 only by connecting the cable holding case 11 to the handle base 8. Since the work of guiding the handle connecting portion 10 to an engagement hole of the handle body 7 and fitting the handle connecting portion 10 as the work in a related-art example is unnecessary, connecting workability is improved.
Further, when a relative position between the inside handle device and the door latch device 4 changes in a direction away from an initial setting due to a collision and the like, a force in the pulling direction is applied to the cable fixing portion 9 of the cable holding case 11 by the outer cable 1.
The cable holding case 11 is moved in an unlocking direction with the cable connecting concave portion 6 of the handle connecting portion 10 by the load applied to the cable fixing portion 9 and is detached from the handle base 8, and thereafter, the cable holding case 11 to which the cable device 3 is fixed moves following the door latch device 4.
Therefore, if the distance between the door latch device 4 and the handle unit becomes unexpectedly large while the inner cable 2 is permanently attached to the handle body 7 as in the related-art example, the handle connecting portion 10 of the inner cable 2 moves in a direction away from the door latch device 4 together with the handle unit and a latch release operation of the door latch device 4 may be performed. However, in the present invention, since the cable device 3 moves following the door latch device 4 after the cable holding case 11 is detached from the handle base 8, the door latch device 4 is not operated and a careless door opening operation can be reliably prevented.
In an aspect (2), the cable holding case may include a riding portion which rides over a riding protrusion of the handle base and move the cable holding case in a connection release direction as the cable fixing portion moves in the pulling direction.
In an aspect (3), the cable holding case may be locked to the handle base at a peripheral portion where the cable fixing portion is formed. An opposite edge portion may be resiliently locked to the handle base on a rotation locus with a locking portion with the handle base as a rotation center and is connected to the handle base.
Although a connection operation of connecting the cable holding case 11 to the handle base 8 is easy compared with a fitting operation after the handle connecting portion 10 formed at a tip end of the inner cable 2 is guided into a connection hole of the handle body 7 no matter what kind of means is used, according to this aspect, since the cable holding case 11 can be connected to the handle base 8 only by rotating around the locking portion after one end portion of the cable holding case 11 is locked, the connection workability is further improved.
In an aspect (4), the cable holding case is provided with a hook-shaped resilient locking piece which resiliently locks to a locking protrusion protruding from the handle base. A locking surface between the locking protrusion and the resilient locking piece is formed by an inclined surface which generates an operation force in an unlocking direction on the elastic locking piece by a load applied to the cable holding case in the connection release direction.
According to the aspect (4), when the load in the cable pulling direction is applied to the cable holding case 11, combined with an action of an operation force direction conversion mechanism, the locking surface of the resilient locking piece 15 moves so as to slide down along the inclined surface of the locking protrusion 14, and thus a locked state between the locking protrusion 14 and the resilient locking piece 15 is released nondestructively.
In an aspect (5), an elastic deformation leg which extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to a cable pulling direction from the cable fixing portion may protrude from one of the cable holding case and the handle base. The other of the cable holding case and the handle base may be provided with an interference protrusion which abuts on a free end portion of the elastic deformation leg and restricts movement of the cable holding case in the cable pulling direction.
According to the aspect (5), when the force in the cable pulling direction is applied, since the leg portion restricts the movement in the cable pulling direction, when the unlocking operation of the resilient locking piece 15 is regulated and the load reaches a predetermined magnitude and the leg portion is elastically deformed, the force in the unlocking direction is generated in the resilient locking piece 15.
As a result, by adjusting the elastic deformability of the leg portion, it is possible to accurately adjust a detaching force of the resilient locking piece 15, that is, a detaching force of the cable holding case 11, and it is possible to reliably prevent accidental detachment of the cable holding case 11.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In this description, an upper side is “front surface side”, a lower side is “back surface side”, a left side is “front”, a right side in
Further, a notch-shaped cable connection recessed portion 6 that is open toward a back surface direction is formed at a back surface side end portion of the hinge piece 7a disposed below. A ceiling surface of the cable connection recessed portion 6 has a spherical shape such that, as will be described later, a handle connecting portion 10 formed in a spherical shape of an inner cable 2 can be fitted to the cable connecting concave portion 6, and as illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
On the other hand, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The main body portion 11a and the cover portion 11b are provided with protrusions 11e, and as illustrated in
Further, a guide concave portion 20 guiding the handle connecting portion 10 of the cable device 3 that is connected to the cable holding case 11 as described above is formed in the main body portion 11a. As will be described later, the guide concave portion 20 is centered on the rotating shaft 7b of the handle body 7 in a state in which the cable holding case 11 is connected to the handle base 8, and is formed by an arc whose radius is a distance from the rotation shaft 7b to the handle connecting portion 10 (see
Therefore, in this example, as illustrated in
In order to connect the cable holding case 11 formed as described above to the handle base 8, a locking hook 22 and a resilient locking piece 15 are provided on the cable holding case 11, and a locked protrusion 8a and a locking protrusion 14 are provided on the handle base 8.
As illustrated in
Further, the resilient locking piece 15 is formed by protruding a hook-shaped locking portion 15b rearward from a tip end of an elastically deformable leg piece 15a that protrudes from a rear end of the cable holding case 11 to the front surface side, and the locking protrusion 14 on a handle base 8 side protrudes rearward so as to be lockable with the locking portion 15b of the resilient locking piece 15.
Therefore, in this example, as illustrated in
When the cable holding case 11 is further pushed from this state, the leg piece 15a of the resilient locking piece 15 is elastically deformed once, and the locking portion 15b rides over the locking protrusion 14, and thereafter the resilient locking piece 15 is locked to the locking protrusion 14 as the leg piece 15a elastically returns. In the locked state, a rearward sliding operation of the cable holding case 11 with respect to the handle base 8 is restricted by interference between the locking hook 22 and the handle base 8, and a forward sliding operation, that is, a sliding operation in a direction in which the cable device 3 is pulled from the cable fixing portion 9 is restricted by interference between the leg piece 15a and the locking protrusion 14.
Further, when the cable holding case 11 is connected to the handle base 8, the movement of the cable holding case 11 in the back surface direction is restricted by the locking of the locking hook 22 with the locked protrusion 8a and the locking of the locking portion 15b with the locking protrusion 14, and since the movement in these directions is restricted, a connection state of the cable holding case 11 to the handle base 8 is maintained.
At the time of connecting the cable holding case 11 to the handle base 8, the handle body 7 is held in the initial rotation position as described above, and the handle connecting portion 10 of the inner cable 2 in a state of being fixed to the cable holding case 11 is determined by a state of the door latch device 4 connected to one end side thereof, and is held at a lock corresponding position as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Further, as illustrated in
Additionally, as illustrated in
As a result, forward movement of the cable holding case 11 is restricted by the elastic deformation resistance of the elastic deformation leg 16 in addition to the elastic deformation resistance of the resilient locking piece 15.
When a large forward force is applied to the cable fixing portion 9 of the cable holding case 11 under the above configuration, as illustrated in
By the movement of the resilient locking piece 15 toward the back surface side, the locking portion 15b of the resilient locking piece 15 moves in the unlocking direction so as to slide down along the locking surface of the locking protrusion 14, and when a forward moving force is further applied, as illustrated in
Therefore, in this example, when a distance between the door latch device 4 fixed to the door panel and the inside handle device fixed to the door trim becomes larger than a distance in an initial state due to a collision accident of the vehicle and the like, the outer cable 1 of the cable device 3 connecting the door latch device 4 and the inside handle device is pulled, and a load in a pulling direction is applied to the cable fixing portion 9 of the cable holding case 11.
As described above, the cable holding case 11 is detached from the handle base 8 by the load applied to the cable fixing portion 9, and thereafter independently moves as a cable unit. Since a pulling force is not applied to the inner cable 2, a latch release operation force is not applied to the door latch device 4.
This application is based on a Japanese Patent Application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-014547) filed on Jan. 31, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-014547 | Jan 2018 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT application No. PCT/JP2019/003528, which was filed on Jan. 31, 2019 based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-014547 filed on Jan. 31, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2019/003528 | Jan 2019 | US |
| Child | 16937687 | US |
