The present invention relates to a vehicle door lock device.
Patent document 1 describes an example of a vehicle door lock device known in the prior art. The door lock device includes an actuator that pivots an output lever from a neutral position in a lock direction and an unlock direction and pivots the output lever back to the neutral position with a motor, which is capable of producing forward and reverse rotation, by means of a reduction gear mechanism. When the output lever moves in the lock direction and the unlock direction, a lock-unlock lever moves to a lock position for locking a door and an unlock position for unlocking the door. The door lock device further includes a lock-unlock operation switch, a childproof operation switch, an outside handle operation detection switch, a lock actuation detection switch, an unlock actuation detection switch, a neutral detection switch, and a control unit. The outside handle operation detection switch detects the operation of an outside handle arranged outside the vehicle. The lock actuation detection switch detects that the lock-unlock lever has reached the lock position. The unlock actuation detection switch detects that the lock-unlock lever has reached the unlock position. The neutral detection switch detects that the output lever has reached the neutral position. The control unit is connected to the motor and the switches. When the lock-unlock operation switch, which is arranged in the passenger compartment, undergoes a lock operation or an unlock operation, the control unit activates the motor to pivot the output lever in the lock direction or the unlock direction. When the lock activation detection switch or the unlock activation detection switch is activated, the control unit produces reverse rotation with the motor until the neutral detection switch is activated and returns the output lever to the neutral position. When the childproof operation switch, which is arranged in the passenger compartment, undergoes a lock operation, the control unit activates the motor to pivot the output lever in the lock direction. When the lock activation detection switch is activated, the control unit deactivates the motor to stop the output lever at a position that prevents the lock-unlock lever from moving to the unlock position. In this state, when the outside handle operation detection switch is activated, the control unit activates the motor to move the lock-unlock lever to the unlock position. This structure allows for a single motor to perform door lock and unlock operations and a childproof operation, which disables unlocking from inside the vehicle and enables unlocking from outside the vehicle.
In patent document 1, the state of each lever is detected in detail by the corresponding switch, and the motor is controlled to stop each lever. This allows for the motor to take two states (operations). Thus, the necessary number of switches increases, and the electrical structure becomes complicated. Further, when the lever state (position) is electrically detected with each switch, there is a tendency for variations to occur depending on the situation. The may produce operation failures in each state.
Patent Document 1
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle door lock device that simplifies the electrical structure and improves the reliability of the device in its entirety.
To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a door lock device for a vehicle including a latch mechanism, an inside lever, an inside open lever, a locking lever, a movable body, an electrical drive unit, a switching lever, a first engagement piece, and a second engagement piece. The latch mechanism holds a vehicle door in a closed state with respect to a vehicle body. The inside lever is operable from a passenger compartment of the vehicle. The inside open lever is linked to the latch mechanism and the inside lever and capable of releasing the vehicle door from the closed state held by the latch mechanism. The locking lever is freely switchable to an unlock position, which enables transmission of movement of the inside open lever and operation force from outside the vehicle to the latch mechanism in order to operate the latch mechanism so that the vehicle door is permitted to open from the vehicle body, and a lock position, which disables the transmission of the movement of the inside open lever and the operation force from outside the vehicle to the latch mechanism. The movable body is movable to an unset position, which enables transmission of movement of the inside lever to the inside open lever when the locking lever is located at the unlock position, a set position, which disables the transmission of the movement of the inside lever to the inside open lever when the locking lever is located at the unlock position, and a double lock position, which disables the transmission of the movement of the inside lever to the inside open lever when the locking lever is located at the lock position. The switching lever is linked to the movable body and driven by the electrical drive unit to move the movable body. The first engagement piece is arranged on the locking lever, and the second engagement piece is arranged on the switching lever. When the locking lever is located at the unlock position, the second engagement piece engages with the first engagement piece located at the set position of the movable body to limit movement of the switching lever so that movement of the movable body is restricted within a range between the unset position and the set position. When the locking lever is located at the lock position, the first engagement piece is arranged at a position avoiding engagement with the second engagement piece to allow the switching lever to move the movable body between the unset position and the double lock position.
One aspect of the present invention further includes a middle lever connected to the vehicle door and slidably supporting the movable body. The movable body is pushed by the switching lever as the switching lever moves thereby moving between the unset position, the set position, and the double lock position while sliding the middle lever.
In the above structures, when the locking lever is located at the unlock position, the first and second engagement pieces are engaged so that movement of the switching lever caused by the driving force of the electrical drive unit is mechanically restricted. This allows for arrangement of the movable body at the set position. When the locking lever is located at the lock position, the first and second engagement pieces are disengaged so as to allow the driving force of the electrical drive unit to move the switching lever. Thus, the movable body is moved to and arranged at the double lock position. In this manner, the movable body may be selectively moved to and arranged at the set position and the double lock position with the driving force of the single electrical drive unit in accordance with the engagement and disengagement of the switching lever corresponding to the unlock position and the lock position of the locking lever. This eliminates the need for a sensor or the like for detecting, for example, that the movable body is located at the set position (or a corresponding state of the switching lever) and allows the electrical structure to be simplified. Further, when arranging the movable body at the set position, to mechanically stop the movement of the switching lever, positional variations of the movable body are reduced in comparison to, for example, when detecting that the movable body is located at the set position using a sensor or the like. This improves the reliability of the entire device.
In one aspect of the present invention, the middle lever is linked to the inside lever by the movable body when the movable body is located at the set position so as to move integrally with the inside lever, and the middle lever includes a pushing piece. The door lock device further includes a release lever linked to the locking lever, in which the release lever is pushed by the pushing piece as the inside lever moves when the locking lever moves to the lock position in a state in which the movable body is located at the set position and thereby operates to move the locking lever to the unlock position.
In this structure, when the locking lever is moved to the lock position in a state in which the movable body is located at the set position, the input of an operation force from the inside of the vehicle moves the inside lever and pushes the release lever with the pushing piece of the middle lever, which moves integrally with the inside lever. This allows for the locking lever to be moved to the unlock position.
In one aspect of the present invention, the release lever is pushed by the pushing piece as the inside lever moves when the movable body is located at the unset position and the locking lever is located at the lock position and thereby operates to move at least the locking lever to the unlock position.
In this structure, when the movable body is located at the unset position and the locking lever is located at the lock position, the release lever is pushed by the pushing piece of the middle lever, which moves integrally with the inside lever, and functions to move at least the locking lever to the unlock position (the so-called two-motion or one motion-function). This allows for the number of components to be reduced in comparison to when using, for example, a discrete exclusive member (lever or the like) having such a function.
In one aspect of the present invention, the inside lever, the inside open lever, and the middle lever are supported by the vehicle door rotatably about the same axis.
In this structure, the urging member selectively urges and holds the switching lever. This stably holds the movable body at the unset position, the set position, and the double lock position.
One aspect of the present invention further includes an urging member that selectively holds the switching lever to hold the movable body at the unset position, the set position, and the double lock position.
In one aspect of the present invention, the switching lever is selectively switched to pivotal positions corresponding to the unset position, set position, or double lock position of the movable body in accordance with the unlock position or lock position of the locking lever by a drive force of the electrical drive unit and an urging force of the urging member.
In one aspect of the present invention, the urging member is a restraining spring.
In one aspect of the present invention, the first engagement piece is arranged in a movement path of the second engagement piece when the locking lever is located at the unlock position, and the first engagement piece is arranged outside the movement path of the second engagement piece when the locking lever is located at the lock position.
In one aspect of the present invention, the movable body is movable, via the set position, between the unset position and the double lock position.
One embodiment of the present invention will now be discussed with reference to the drawings.
Referring to
As shown in
The door lock device 10 will now be described in detail with reference to
As shown in
The inside lever 22 is formed by, for example, a metal plate and supported to be pivotal in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawing relative to the housing 21 about a rotary axis O1 when arranged at a predetermined initial pivotal position. The inside lever 22 includes a distal portion extending upward, as viewed in the drawing, and folded back toward the rotary axis O1 to form a scissor-shaped hooking piece 22a. The inside lever 22, which is linked to the inside handle 3 by the hooking piece 22a, is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in
The inside open lever 23 is formed by, for example, a metal plate, arranged at the lower side of the inside lever 22 as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, and supported to be pivotal in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawing relative to the housing 21 about the rotary axis O1. The inside open lever 23 includes a pawl-shaped pushing piece 23a, which extends in the radial direction toward one side of the rotary axis O1 (toward the lower right side of
The middle lever 24 is formed by, for example, a metal plate, arranged at the lower side of the inside open lever 23 as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing and supported to be pivotal in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawing relative to the housing 21 about the rotary axis O1. The middle lever 24 includes a guide piece 24a, which is elongated and extends in the radial direction toward one side of the rotary axis O1 (toward the lower right side of
The bushing 25 is formed from, for example, a resin material and has the shape of a planar plate. The bushing 25 is supported to be slidable in the longitudinal direction (radial direction) of the guide piece 24a. The bushing 25 includes a cylindrical engagement projection 25a, which projects toward the upper side and the lower side as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. When the bushing 25 is arranged at a predetermined position at a distal side (the side farer from the rotary axis O1) of the guide piece 24a, the engagement projection 25a is inserted into the two engagement holes 22b and 23b. As a result, the bushing 25 restricts relative movement of the inside lever 22 and the inside open lever 23 in the circumferential direction about the rotary axis O1. In this state, the bushing 25 is capable of transmitting the pivoting force of the inside lever 22 to the inside open lever 23 and the middle lever 24, and the position of the bushing 25 in this state is referred to as the unset position.
Further, as shown in
As shown in
In this manner, the bushing 25 moves along the guide piece 24a to selectively switch states in which the inside lever 22, the inside open lever 23, and the middle lever 24 are integrally rotatable and relatively rotatable.
The active lever 26 is molded from, for example, a resin material and arranged at the lower side of the middle lever 24 as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. The active lever 26 is supported to be pivotal in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawing relative to the housing 21 about a rotary axis O2, which is parallel to the rotary axis O1. Further, the active lever 26 is restricted by the housing 21 so as to pivot in a predetermined pivotal range. The pivotal position of the active lever 26 in which pivoting is restricted in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in
The active lever 26 includes a first engagement piece 26a, which is elongated and extends in the radial direction toward one side of the rotary axis O2 (toward the lower side of
The panic lever 27 is formed by, for example, a metal plate and supported to be pivotal in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawing relative to the housing 21 about the rotary axis O2. An urging member, which is not shown, is wound around the rotary axis O2. The basal end of the urging member is hooked to the active lever 26, and the distal end of the urging member is hooked to the panic lever 27. The panic lever 27 is basically supported to pivot integrally with the active lever 26. A hooking pin 27a attached to the distal portion of the panic lever 27 projects toward the upper side as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing.
The open link 28 is formed by, for example, a metal plate and extends in the vertical direction as viewed in
A connecting portion 28b, which is connected to the open lever 33 further connected to the housing 21, is formed in a second end portion of the open link 28. The open link 28 is swingable relative to the open lever 33. The open lever 33 is pivotally attached to the housing 21 by a support pin 34. The open lever 33 is pivotally attached to the housing 21 by a support pin 34, and the support pin 34 is stably arranged at a predetermined pivotal position on the housing 21 by a torsion spring, which is not shown. The open lever 33 has a first end portion 33a, which is connected to the connecting portion 28b of the open link 28, and a second end portion, which is located on the opposite side of the first end portion 33a with a pivot center located therebetween and linked to the outside handle 4. When the outside handle 4 undergoes an opening operation, the open lever 33 pivots so as that the first end portion 33a, namely, the open link 28, is moved in the upward direction countering the torsion spring.
Further, the open link 28 includes an L-shaped engagement piece 28c, which is located between the engagement groove 28a and the connecting portion 28b. The engagement piece 28c is arranged near a lift lever 35, which is pivotally attached to the housing 21. The lift lever 35 is connected to the pole 13 shown in
The engagement piece 28c is arranged so as to face toward the pushing piece 23a of the inside open lever 23 in the vertical direction. In other words, the engagement piece 28c is arranged on a pivot path of the pushing piece 23a. Accordingly, when, for example, the inside open lever 23 is pivoted in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in
The positional relationship of the engagement piece 28c and the distal portion 35a in correspondence with the unlock position and lock position of the active lever 26 will now be described. As shown in the states of
As shown in the state of
The lock actuator 29 is drive-controlled for a fixed period when a control circuit, which is not shown, detects a remote operation (lock-unlock operation) of a lock-unlock switch arranged on a key blade or a door interior trim. The driving of the lock actuator 29 selectively switches the active lever 26 to the unlock position and the lock position. The active lever 26 is linked to the lock knob 5, and operation (manual operation) of the lock knob 5 also allows for switching from the unlock position to the lock position. However, after being switched to the lock position (after locking), the lock knob 5 is held within the vehicle door 1 so as to prohibit direction operation. Thus, the lock knob 5 cannot be operated to switch the active lever 26 from the lock position to the unlock position.
The switching lever 30 is formed from, for example, a resin material and arranged at the lower side of the middle lever 24 as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing at a position overlapping the active lever 26 in the axial direction. The switching lever 30 is supported to be pivotal in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawing relative to the housing 21 about a rotary axis O3, which is parallel to the rotary axes O2. Further, the switching lever 30 is restricted by the housing 21 so as to pivot in a predetermined pivotal range.
The switching lever 30 includes a plate-shaped lever portion 30a, which extends toward the bushing 25 from the pivot center. The lever portion 30a includes an arcuate guide hole 30b, which generally extends in the radial direction relative to the rotary axis O3, and a gear 30c, which is fan-shaped and extends from the rotary shaft O3 toward the switching actuator 31. The engagement projection 25a, which projects toward the lower side as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing, is inserted into the guide hole 30b. Accordingly, the guide hole 30b restricts movement of the engagement projection 25a in the radial direction about the rotary axis O1. This restricts the position of the bushing 25 on the guide piece 24a. Further, as shown in
As shown in the states of
Further, as shown in
The switching actuator 31 includes an electric motor 31a and an output gear 31b, which is fixed to a rotary shaft of the electric motor 31a. The gear 30c of the switching lever 30 connects and meshes with the output gear 31b of the switching actuator 31. When the active lever 26 is located at the unlock position, the switching lever 30 is driven by the switching actuator 31 and selectively switches the bushing 25 between the unset position and the set position. Further, when the active lever 26 is located at the lock position, the switching lever 30 is driven by the switching actuator 31 and selectively switches the bushing 25 between the unset position (or set position) and the double lock position. As shown in
The switching actuator 31 is drive-controlled for a fixed period when a control circuit, which is not shown, detects a remote operation of a switching switch arranged on a key blade or a door interior trim. The driving force of the switching actuator 31 and the urging force of the restraining spring 36 selectively switch the switching lever 30 to pivotal positions corresponding to the unset position, the set position, and the double lock position of the bushing 25 in accordance with the position of the active lever 26 (unlock position or lock position). Part of the switching lever 30 serving as an operation unit is exposed to the outer side of the vehicle door 1 (e.g., door joining surface). Operation (manual operation) of the operation unit also switches the switching lever 30 to the pivotal position corresponding to the unset position or set position of the bushing 25.
The release lever 32 is formed by, for example, a metal plate and arranged at the upper side of the switching lever 30 (and active lever 26) as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing at a position overlapping the middle lever 24 in the axial direction. The release lever 32 includes a connecting piece 32a, which is plate shaped and extends in the radial direction toward one side of the rotary axis O3 (toward the upper right side of
The release lever 32 and the active lever 26, which are connected by the elongated hole 32b and the connecting projection 26b that is inserted into the elongated hole 32b, are connected so as to rotate integrally about their rotary axes. Accordingly, for example, when the active lever 26 pivots between the unlock position and the lock position about the rotary axis O2, the release lever 32 cooperatively pivots about the rotary shaft O3. Alternatively, when the release lever 32 pivots about the rotary axis O3, the active lever 26 cooperatively pivots about the rotary axis O2. In this state, the active lever 26 is selectively switched to the unlock position and the lock position countering the above-described positioning spring.
As shown in
The entire operation of the present embodiment will now be discussed.
As shown in
As shown in
When the inside handle 3 is further operated once, the inside open lever 23 is integrally pivoted in the counterclockwise direction as viewed in the drawings with the inside lever 22 and the middle lever 24. This moves the distal portion 35a of the lift lever 35 in the upward direction and releases the engagement of the latch 12 and the striker 2. In other words, in the lock state, two operations of the inside handle 3 operates the latch mechanism 11 so that the vehicle door 1 is permitted to open from the vehicle body (two-motion mechanism).
When the outside handle 4 is operated in the opening direction, the open link 28 moves in the upward direction. However, the extension line extending along the longitudinal direction of the engagement groove 28a is separated from the distal portion 35a. Thus, the engagement piece 28c does not push and move the distal portion 35a in the upward direction. Accordingly, the latch 12 and striker 2 remain engaged.
Further, in the state shown in
Specifically, the state shown in
Further, in the state shown in
In the state shown in
As discussed above in detail, the present embodiment has the advantages described below.
The embodiment discussed above may be modified as described below.
In the above-discussed embodiment, the active lever (first engagement piece 26a), which engages with the second engagement piece 30d, is used to restrict pivoting of the switching lever 30, which arranges the bushing 25 at the set position. However, the pivoting may be restricted by the panic lever 27 or the open link 28.
The above-discussed embodiment has a structure (two-motion structure) for performing in stages, during the lock state, the shifting to the unlock state by operating the inside handle 3 twice in the opening direction and the releasing of the engagement of the latch 12 and striker 2. Instead, a structure (one-motion structure) may be employed for sequentially performing the shifting to the unlock position by operating the inside handle 3 once in the opening direction and releasing of the engagement of the latch 12 and striker 2.
The two-motion mechanism (pushing piece 24c, release lever 32, and the like) may be eliminated.
An electromagnetic solenoid may be used as the drive unit of the lock actuator 29 or the switching actuator 31.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2008-109062 | Apr 2008 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP2009/054768 | 3/12/2009 | WO | 00 | 9/8/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2009/128309 | 10/22/2009 | WO | A |
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