The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-197314 filed on Dec. 9, 2022, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The disclosure relates to vehicle lid lock devices applied to vehicles, such as automobiles, and more particularly to vehicle lid lock devices including a lid unlocking mechanism for manually unlocking a lid in an emergency.
Conventional vehicles, such as automobiles, have a lid that opens and closes an opening through which an internal space, in which a fuel supply port (fuel filler), a power feed inlet with which a charging cable is coupled, or the like is provided, can be exposed to the outside. The vehicles of this type also have a lid lock device that maintains the lid closed at times other than the time of supplying fuel or power, and that eliminates the closed state of the lid and allows the lid to be opened at the time of supplying fuel or power.
The conventional vehicle lid lock devices move a rod-like member (lock pin) such that the lock pin is engaged with or disengaged from the lid by using a drive source, such as a drive actuator, to maintain the lid closed or to eliminate the closed state of the lid and allow the lid to be opened.
Some of such vehicle lid lock devices include an emergency lid unlocking mechanism that allows a user to manually eliminate the closed state of the lid closed by the lock pin in an emergency, such as when the drive source, such as the drive actuator, cannot move the lock pin.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. 2011-214242 and the like have made various proposals about vehicle lid lock devices having the emergency lid unlocking mechanism of this type.
JP-A No. 2011-214242 and the like disclose a vehicle lid lock device in which one end of a cable is coupled to the rear end of the lock pin, and the other end of the cable is coupled to a handle member. The handle member is detachably disposed in a fitting hole in a vehicle body. In an emergency, a user detaches the handle member fixed to the vehicle body and pulls the handle member in a predetermined direction to eliminate the closed state of the lid closed by the lock pin.
In the structure disclosed in JP-A No. 2011-214242 and the like, the user performs multiple complicated operations, such as detaching the handle member fixed to the vehicle body and pulling the detached handle member, in an emergency.
Meanwhile, the emergency lid unlocking mechanism is not used frequently because the mechanism is used in an emergency or the like. Thus, the components, such as the handle member, constituting the emergency lid unlocking mechanism of the conventional vehicle lid lock device are usually disposed in a narrow, inconspicuous space inside the vehicle body.
Hence, the operability at the time of detaching the handle member may not necessarily be good depending on the position of the handle member or the like. For example, the structure disclosed in JP-A No. 2011-214242 has a problem in that the user may drop the handle member inside the vehicle body due to an operation error or the like when detaching the handle member fixed to the vehicle body in an emergency.
JP-A No. 2013-113059, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model (Registration) Application Publication (JP-UM-A) No. H5-7872, and the like disclose proposals for solving these problems.
In the emergency lid unlocking mechanisms of the vehicle lid lock devices disclosed in JP-A 2013-113059 and JP-UM-A No. H5-7872, the closed state of the lid is eliminated by pulling the handle member fixed to the vehicle body in a predetermined direction without detaching the handle member from the vehicle body in an emergency.
For example, in the vehicle lid lock device disclosed in JP-A No. 2013-113059 and the like, the handle member is slidable in a predetermined direction (cable pulling direction) with respect to a support member fixed to the vehicle body.
In the vehicle lid lock device disclosed in JP-UM-A No. H5-7872 and the like, the other end of the cable is passed through and supported by a support member fixed to the vehicle body, and the closed state of the lid is eliminated by pulling the other end of the cable.
An aspect of the disclosure provides a vehicle lid lock device. The vehicle lid lock device includes a drive actuator, a lock pin, a handle member, and a cable. The lock pin is provided so as to be movable between a first position where one end of the lock pin is engaged with a part of a lid provided in a vehicle exterior panel to maintain a closed state of the lid and a second position where the lock pin that has received a driving force from the drive actuator and retracted in an axial direction is disengaged from the part of the lid to allow the lid to be in an open state. The handle member is to be gripped by a user. The cable has one end coupled to another end of the lock pin and another end coupled to a part of the handle member and is configured to retract the lock pin in the axial direction to disengage the lock pin from the part of the lid member when the user pulls the handle member. A clip part via which the handle member is fixed to a vehicle interior structure is formed integrally with the handle member. The handle member is tiltable with respect to a fixing surface of the vehicle interior structure when the handle member is fixed to the vehicle interior structure via the clip part.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate an embodiment and, together with the specification, serve to describe the principles of the disclosure.
Because the structures disclosed in JP-A No. 2013-113059, JP-UM-A No. H5-7872, and the like use multiple components, such as the handle member and the support member for fixing the handle member to the vehicle body, the structure of the mechanism is complex and the manufacturing cost is high.
It is desirable to provide a vehicle lid lock device having an emergency lid unlocking mechanism that has good operability and enables reliable operation with a small number of components and a simple structure, and that can contribute to cost reduction.
The disclosure will be described according to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings. The drawings used in the following description are schematic illustrations, and the dimensional relationships, the scales, and the like of members may differ among the components so that components are illustrated in recognizable sizes in the drawings. Therefore, the number, shape, size ratio, relative positional relationship, and the like of the components are not limited to those in the illustrated embodiments.
The vehicle lid lock device 1 (see
The lid 10 is attached to the opening in the vehicle exterior panel 11 (not illustrated in
The basic structures of the supply port unit 20, the lid 10, and the like are substantially the same as those used in the conventional vehicle lid lock devices. Hence, the detailed description and illustration of these component members, which use a known technology, will be omitted.
As illustrated in
The drive actuator 21a is a drive source including an electric motor and provided in a housing of the body 21. Besides the drive actuator 21a, the body 21 accommodates a driving-force transmission mechanism (not illustrated) for transmitting the driving force from the drive actuator 21a to the lock pin 22. The driving force from the drive actuator 21a moves the lock pin 22 in the axial direction. The arrow X direction in
When the lock pin 22 has moved in the arrow X2 direction in
The lock pin 22 is a hard rod-like member. The lock pin 22 is supported so as to be able to protrude from and retract into the body 21 in the axial direction X. Normally, one end 22a of the lock pin 22 engages with a part of the lid 10 through the supply port unit 20 to maintain the lid 10 closed. The position of the lock pin 22 at this time is referred to as a first position. When the lock pin 22 is at the first position, the lid 10 is fixed in the closed state and is prevented from being displaced to the open state.
When the drive actuator 21a is driven upon receiving a predetermined operation, the driving force from the drive actuator 21a acts on the lock pin 22 through the predetermined driving-force transmission mechanism (not illustrated). Examples of the predetermined operation in this case include a lid releasing operation and a door unlocking operation.
The lock pin 22, upon receiving the driving force from the drive actuator 21a, moves in the retracting direction X1 of the axial direction X. As a result, the lock pin 22 is disengaged from the part of the lid 10. This allows the lid 10 to be displaced to the open state. The position of the lock pin 22 at this time is referred to as a second position. In this manner, the lock pin 22 is movable between the first position and the second position.
The structures of the lock pin 22 itself, the mechanism for moving the lock pin 22, and the like are substantially the same as those used in the conventional vehicle lid lock devices. Hence, detailed description and illustration of the structures will be omitted.
The emergency lid unlocking mechanism includes a handle member 23 and a cable 24.
The handle member 23 is an operation member to be gripped by a user and receive a predetermined manual operation in an emergency. Herein, “emergency” is a case where, for example, the drive actuator 21a cannot move (retract) the lock pin 22 due to some factors such as malfunction or power shortage.
For example, the handle member 23 is provided near an opening 13a formed in the partition 13 provided in the luggage room 12. Although not illustrated in
Therefore, the handle member 23 is disposed at a position that can be easily reached by a user who has removed the lid in the partition 13 and extended his or her fingers or the like through the opening 13a.
As illustrated in
In this case, the handle member 23 is fixed to the vehicle interior structure 15 by snap-fitting, in which the clip part 23a is fitted into a fitting hole 15a formed in the vehicle interior structure 15. The structure of the handle member 23 will be described in more detail below.
The cable 24 is a string-like member coupling the lock pin 22 and the handle member 23. One end of the cable 24 is coupled to the other end 22b of the lock pin 22 through the body 21. The other end of the cable 24 is coupled to a part of the handle member 23.
Now, the structure of the handle member 23 will be described in more detail. As illustrated in
The grip part 23b is an operation part to be gripped and operated by a user in an emergency, for example. In this embodiment, the grip part 23b has a substantially ring shape having such an inside diameter that a user can insert his or her finger or the like therethrough for operation. The other end of the cable 24 is coupled to a predetermined part of the outer circumferential surface of the grip part 23b.
The support arm 23c is a beam-like portion extending outward from a predetermined portion of the outer circumferential surface of the grip part 23b. The support arm 23c and the grip part 23b are formed integrally.
For example, the support arm 23c is provided at a position, in the grip part 23b, rotated by about 90° in the circumferential direction with respect to the portion in the grip part 23b with which the other end of the cable 24 is coupled (see
The locking projection 23h protruding outward from the outer surface of the support arm 23c in a direction substantially orthogonal to a direction parallel to the central axis (Y in
Although the details will be described below, a state in which the locking projection 23h is locked by the locking claw 23g is referred to as the normal state of the handle member 23. When the handle member 23 is in the normal state, the support arm 23c is set in a substantially upright state with respect to the planar part 23d. At this time, the support arm 23c is fixed in a substantially upright state to a mounting surface or a fixing surface of the wall of the vehicle interior structure 15. At this time, the central axis Y of the support arm 23c coincides with the central axis Y1 of the planar part 23d and the clip part 23a.
The planar part 23d is a planar component member serving as a base part of the handle member 23. The clip part 23a projecting outward in a direction substantially orthogonal to a planar surface of the planar part 23d is provided integrally with the planar surface.
The planar surface of the planar part 23d where the clip part 23a is provided is referred to as a back surface of the planar part 23d. The back surface of the planar part 23d faces the outer surface of the wall of the vehicle interior structure 15 when the handle member 23 is fixed to the wall of the vehicle interior structure 15. The surface on the opposite side of the back surface of the planar part 23d is referred to as a front surface.
The planar part 23d is provided with, on the front surface thereof, the beam part 23f extending from a predetermined position in the periphery thereof in the direction opposite to the direction in which the clip part 23a projects. The beam part 23f is formed in an elastic cantilever shape. The beam part 23f is formed integrally with the planar part 23d.
The beam part 23f has the integrally formed locking claw 23f at the distal end thereof. The locking claw 23g has the shape of a hook that can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking projection 23h. The beam part 23f and the locking claw 23g are formed at a position facing the portion where the locking projection 23h is formed.
The hinge part 23e is a component member coupling a portion of the distal-side periphery of the support arm 23c and a portion of the periphery of the planar part 23d together. One end of the hinge part 23e is continuous with a portion in the distal-side periphery of the support arm 23c, on the opposite side of the central axis Y of the support arm 23c from the portion where the locking projection 23h is formed. The other end of the hinge part 23e is continuous with a portion in the periphery of the planar part 23d, on the opposite side of the central axis Y1 (see
The hinge part 23e allows the support arm 23c, including the grip part 23b, of the handle member 23 to tilt with respect to the outer surface (fixing surface) of the wall of the vehicle interior structure 15 when the handle member 23 is fixed to the vehicle interior structure 15 via the clip part 23a.
The positional relationship among the cable 24, the hinge part 23e, the beam part 23f, the locking claw 23g, and the locking projection 23h will be described again. The positional relationship will be described based on the case where the handle member 23 is in the normal state.
The hinge part 23e is disposed on the opposite side of the central axis Y from the side on which the cable 24 is disposed.
The beam part 23f, the locking claw 23g, and the locking projection 23h are disposed on the same side of the central axis Y. The beam part 23f and the locking claw 23g face the locking projection 23h in a direction perpendicular to the central axis Y.
The beam part 23f, the locking claw 23g, and the locking projection 23h are disposed on the same side as the cable 24 with respect to the central axis Y.
The hinge part 23e is disposed on the opposite side of the central axis Y from the beam part 23f, the locking claw 23g, and the locking projection 23h.
The thus-configured handle member 23 is fixed to the wall of the vehicle interior structure 15 via the clip part 23a. At this time, the planar surface (back surface) of the planar part 23d is disposed so as to face the outer surface of the wall of the vehicle interior structure 15.
At this time, the support arm 23c of the handle member 23 is in a substantially upright state with respect to the planar surface of the planar part 23d (i.e., the outer surface of the vehicle interior structure 15), and the locking projection 23h is locked by the locking claw 23g.
That is, when the locking projection 23h is locked by the locking claw 23g in a state in which the handle member 23 is fixed to the wall of the vehicle interior structure 15, the support arm 23c is maintained in a substantially upright state with respect to the planar surface of the planar part 23d (i.e., the outer surface of the vehicle interior structure 15). This is the normal state of the handle member 23 (the state illustrated in
If a pulling force in a predetermined direction (arrow X4 direction in
The operation of the emergency lid unlocking mechanism in the thus-configured vehicle lid lock device 1 according to this embodiment will be briefly described below with reference to
First, it is assumed that the handle member 23 is in the normal state as illustrated in
As a result, the support arm 23c, including the grip part 23b, starts to rotate about the hinge part 23e in the arrow R1 direction illustrated in
Eventually, the locking projection 23h goes over the locking claw 23g. This way, the locking projection 23h is disengaged from the locking claw 23g. The state illustrated in
Once the locking projection 23h is completely disengaged from the locking claw 23g, the beam part 23f returns in the arrow R3 direction in
When the user continues to pull the grip part 23b in the arrow X4 direction, the support arm 23c, including the grip part 23b, tilts in the arrow R1 direction with respect to the planar surface of the planar part 23d. Along with this, the grip part 23b pulls the cable 24 in the arrow X3 direction in
When the cable 24 moves in the arrow X3 direction, the lock pin 22 moves in the arrow X1 direction (retracting direction) in
Even if the user stops pulling the grip part 23b of the handle member 23, the state illustrated in
As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, in the emergency lid unlocking mechanism of the vehicle lid lock device 1, the handle member 23 is fixed to the vehicle interior structure 15 with the integrally formed clip part 23a. At this time, the handle member 23 is configured to be tiltable with respect to the fixing surface of the vehicle interior structure 15.
In this case, when the locking projection 23h and the locking claw 23g are locked together, the handle member 23 is fixed in a substantially upright state with respect to the fixing surface of the vehicle interior structure 15. When the locking projection 23h and the locking claw 23g are disengaged from each other, the support arm 23c, including the grip part 23b, of the handle member 23 is tiltable with respect to the fixing surface of the vehicle interior structure 15 by the action of the hinge part 23e.
The handle member 23 includes the clip part 23a, the grip part 23b, the support arm 23c, the planar part 23d, the hinge part 23e, the beam part 23f, the locking claw 23g, and the locking projection 23h, which are formed as a single component.
With this structure, the vehicle lid lock device 1 according to this embodiment allows a user to easily eliminate the closed state of the lid 10 only by performing a simple operation of pulling the grip part 23b, while reducing the number of components.
Furthermore, because the handle member 23 is fixed to the vehicle interior structure 15 with the integrally formed clip part 23a, the handle member 23 is not removed from the vehicle body when the handle member 23 is used in an emergency or the like. Hence, there is no risk of dropping the handle member 23 when the handle member 23 is operated in an emergency or the like.
By forming the component members constituting the handle member 23 as a single component, the number of components is reduced, contributing to a reduction in the manufacturing cost.
The disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include disclosures at various stages, and various disclosures can be extracted by appropriately combining multiple disclosed components. For example, even if some components are deleted from all the components illustrated in one embodiment, if the problem to be solved by the disclosure can be solved and the advantages of the disclosure can be obtained, the structure from which the components have been deleted can be extracted as the disclosure. Furthermore, components in different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The disclosure is not to be restricted by its particular embodiments except as it may be limited by the appended claims.
According to the disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle lid lock device having an emergency lid unlocking mechanism that has good operability and enables reliable operation with a small number of components and a simple structure, and that can contribute to cost reduction.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2022-197314 | Dec 2022 | JP | national |