JP2024049987A - Vehicle door lock release device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle door lock release device capable of easily unlocking a door lock device when operating the release of one of a door handle and a key cylinder lock without activating the other.SOLUTION: A door handle 13 and a key cylinder lock 14 are connected to a door lock device 15 via a mutual separation mechanism 29, and the mutual separation mechanism 29 is configured so that when one of the door handle 13 and the key cylinder lock 14 is released, the other is stopped at its original position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle door lock release device, and in particular to an improvement to a vehicle door lock release device that allows the door lock device to be unlocked by either the door handle or the key cylinder lock, which are individually arranged on the door.

Vehicle door lock release devices that connect the door handle and the door lock device with a cable or the like and unlock the door lock device by unlocking the door handle are well known, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 below.

In addition to this type of vehicle door lock release device, there are also known devices that connect the key cylinder lock and the door lock device with a cable or the like, so that the door lock device can also be unlocked by operating the key cylinder lock with a specified key.

JP 2011-179217 A

When it is not possible to directly connect the key cylinder lock to the door lock device due to the structure of the door lock device, it is possible to connect the key cylinder lock to the door lock device in series via the door handle. However, doing so would mean that the key cylinder lock would be operated when the door handle is operated, and conversely, the door handle would be operated when the key cylinder lock is operated, increasing the operating load of the door handle and key cylinder lock, resulting in poor operability of each.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle door lock release device that can easily unlock the door lock device by leaving either the door handle or the key cylinder lock in a non-operating position when the other is released.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle door lock release device that includes a door lock device that locks the door in a closed state, and a door handle and a key cylinder lock that are individually arranged on the door to unlock the door lock device, the door handle and the key cylinder lock being connected to the door lock device via a mutual separation mechanism, and the mutual separation mechanism is configured to hold the door handle and the key cylinder lock in a non-operated position when one of the door handle and the key cylinder lock is released.

In addition to the first feature, the present invention has a second feature in that the mutual separation mechanism is made up of a driven member that can unlock the door lock device by being driven in a predetermined release direction, a first drive member that separably engages with the driven member to drive the driven member in the predetermined release direction in response to the release operation force of the door handle, and a second drive member that separably engages with the driven member to drive the driven member in the predetermined release direction in response to the release operation force of the key cylinder lock, and when one of the first and second drive members drives the driven member in the predetermined release direction, the driven member separates from the other of the first and second drive members.

The door handle corresponds to the inside door handle 13 in the embodiment of the present invention described below. The driven member corresponds to the driven slider 30, the first driving member corresponds to the first driving slider 31, and the second driving member corresponds to the second driving slider 32.

Furthermore, in addition to the second feature, the present invention has a third feature in that a guide shaft is provided in the case housing the mutual separation mechanism, which passes through the guide hole of the driven member and guides the driven member so that it can slide along a predetermined release direction.

According to the first feature of the present invention, when either the door handle or the key cylinder lock is released, the other remains in a non-operating position and does not become a load, so the door lock device can be unlocked easily and the operability of both the door handle and the key cylinder lock is good.

According to the second feature of the present invention, the mutual separation mechanism can be constructed using a relatively small number of components, and a vehicle door lock release device with a simple structure and low cost can be provided.

According to the third feature of the present invention, a guide shaft that guides the driven member so that it can slide along a predetermined release direction is provided in the case that houses the mutual separation mechanism, so that the driven member can always be held in a stable position without tilt. Therefore, the driven member can be smoothly driven in the predetermined release direction via the first or second drive member by the release operation of either the door handle or the key cylinder lock, and the operability of both the door handle and the key cylinder lock can be improved.

1 is an inner side view of a door of a vehicle equipped with a door lock unlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the door lock release device in FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the door lock release device. FIG. 4 is a view taken from the arrow 4 in FIG. 2 . Cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in Figure 4. Cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Figure 5. Cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in Figure 4. Cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in Figure 4.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

First, in Figure 1, a case 12 of a door lock release device 11 of the present invention is fixed to the inside of a vehicle door 10, and an inside door handle 13 that is operated from inside the vehicle is journaled on this case 12. A key cylinder lock 14 that is turned with a specified key is attached to the outside of the door 10. Furthermore, a door lock device 15 that locks the door 10 in a closed state is provided on the door 10, and this door lock device 15 is designed to be unlocked by the release operation of either the inside door handle 13 or the key cylinder lock 14.

The configuration is explained in detail below.

In Figures 2 to 5, the case 12 is a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle, and support pieces 12a protruding from its four corners are fixed to the door 10 by bolts or the like.

The front side (vehicle compartment side) of the case 12 is provided with a first front chamber 17 located above the front of the case 12, and the back side of the case 12 is provided with a rear chamber 19 located at the rear of the case 12 and a second front chamber 18 located below the first front chamber 17.

In addition, an intermediate chamber 20 that opens to the front and back surfaces of the case 12 is provided in the middle of the case 12 in the front-to-rear direction.

The case 12 further includes a partition wall 21 that separates the first front chamber 17 from the middle chamber 20, and a protruding wall 22 that rises from the bottom surface of the rear chamber 19 and faces the middle chamber 20.

A support wall 13 protruding toward the middle chamber 20 is provided on the partition wall 21, and a pair of upper and lower bosses 13a of the inside door handle 13 arranged in the first front chamber 17 are supported by a support shaft 24 between the support wall 13 and the upper wall of the case 12.

The inside door handle 13 can be rotated toward the passenger compartment from an original position where its surface is flush with the surface of the case 12, and a return spring 25 made of a torsion coil spring that always biases the inside door handle 13 to its original position is attached to the support shaft 24. The original position of the inside door handle 13 is determined, for example, by abutting the inside surface of the inside door handle 13 against the tip of the partition wall 21 (see Figure 5).

The inside door handle 13 is integrally formed with an operating arm 27 that protrudes from its base toward the middle chamber 20.

As shown in Figures 4, 5, 7 and 8, the rear chamber 19 is provided with a mutual separation mechanism 29 consisting of a driven slider 30 and a first driving slider 31 and a second driving slider 32 arranged above and below the driven slider 30 with a small gap between them.

The driven slider 30 is slidable along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and in order to guide the sliding, a pair of slide protrusions 34 formed on the driven slider 30 are slidably engaged with a pair of rail grooves 33 formed on the bottom surface of the rear chamber 19 and extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, in order to ensure the sliding while preventing the driven slider 30 from falling over and coming off the rail grooves 33, both ends of a guide shaft 53 that slidably passes through a guide hole 52 of the driven slider 30 in parallel with the rail grooves 33 are fixed and supported by the protruding wall 22 and the rear end wall 19a of the rear chamber.

The driven slider 30 is connected to the door lock device 15 (Figure 1) via a first cable 41 that passes through the rear end wall 19a of the rear chamber 19. The reference symbol 41a indicates a guide tube for the first cable 41.

The driven slider 30 moves from the original position determined by the locked door lock device 15 in a predetermined unlocking direction A toward the front of the vehicle, thereby pulling the first cable 41 and unlocking the door lock device 15.

On the other hand, in order to guide the sliding of the first and second driving sliders 31, 32 along the vehicle longitudinal direction, the slide protrusions 34, 36 formed on the first and second driven sliders 31, 32, respectively, are slidably engaged with the rail grooves 35, 37 formed on the bottom surface of the rear chamber 19. Furthermore, in order to ensure the sliding while preventing the first and second driving sliders 32 from falling over and coming off the rail grooves 35, 37, a case cover 40 is attached to the case 12 so as to cover the first and second driving sliders 31, 32.

When attaching the case cover 40, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of claw pieces 40a at the front end of the case cover 40 are engaged with receiving holes 46 provided in the case 12, and a pair of protrusions 40b at the rear end of the case cover 40 are fixed to the case 12 with screws 43.

This case cover 40 is integrally formed with shim walls 40c that adjust the gaps between the first and second drive sliders 31, 32 and the upper and lower side walls 19b of the rear chamber 19.

As shown in Figures 3, 6 and 7, the front end of the first driving slider 31 has a rectangular connecting hole 31a into which the operating arm 27 of the inside door handle 13 is inserted, and the rear end has a first hook 31b that can be releasably engaged with one side of the pressure-receiving surface 30a at the rear end of the driven slider 30.

When the driven slider 30 is in its original position, the original position of the first driving slider 31, in which the first hook 31b simply abuts against its pressure-receiving surface 30a, is determined by the inside door handle 13, which is held in its original position by the return spring 25.

As shown in FIG. 6, a cable connection boss 32a is provided at the front end of the second drive slider 32, and a second cable 42 extending from a rotating part (not shown) of the key cylinder lock 14 (FIG. 1) is connected to this cable connection boss 32a. At this time, this second cable 42 is arranged so as to pass through the second front chamber 18 by penetrating the front end wall 18a of the second front chamber 18. The symbol 42a is a guide tube for this second cable 42.

The rear end of the second driving slider 32 is provided with a second hook 32b (see Figures 2 and 6) that is releasably engaged with the other side of the pressure-receiving surface 30a of the driven slider 30. The original position of the second driving slider 32, where the second hook 32b is simply brought into contact with the rear end surface of the driven slider 30 in the original position, is determined by a return spring (not shown) of the key cylinder lock 14.

Next, we will explain the operation of this embodiment.

To unlock the door lock device 15 that locks the door 10 in a closed state, for example, first rotate the inside door handle 13 from its original position toward the inside of the vehicle. This causes the operating arm 27 to pull the first driving slider 31 toward the front of the vehicle, and the first hook 31b of the first driving slider 31 presses against the pressure-receiving surface 30a of the driven slider 30, driving the driven slider 30 in the specified release direction A, pulling the first cable 41 and unlocking the door lock device 15.

During this time, the second drive slider 32 remains in its original position. In other words, the second drive slider 32 is separated from the first drive slider 31 and the driven slider 30, and does not interfere with the movement of the driven slider 30 in the release direction A, and does not become a load. Therefore, the release operation of the inside door handle 13 can be performed easily, and the operability is good.

In addition to the above, when the key cylinder lock 14 is unlocked with a specified key, the rotating part of the key cylinder lock 14 pulls the second drive slider 32 toward the front of the vehicle via the second cable 42, and the second hook 32b of the second drive slider 32 presses against the pressure-receiving surface 30a of the driven slider 30, driving the driven slider 30 in the specified release direction A, which in turn pulls the first cable 41, unlocking the door lock device 15.

In this case, the first driving slider 31 remains in its original position. In other words, the first driving slider 31 is separated from the second driving slider 32 and the driven slider 30, and does not interfere with the movement of the driven slider 30 in the release direction A, and does not become a load. Therefore, the release operation of the key cylinder lock 14 can be performed easily, and the operability is also good.

In this way, when either the inside door handle 13 or the key cylinder lock 14 is released, the other can be left in its original position to avoid the burden of releasing one of them, thereby improving the operability of both the inside door handle 13 and the key cylinder lock 14.

Moreover, the mutual separation mechanism 29 consisting of the driven slider 30, the first driving slider 31, and the second driving slider 32 has few components, making it possible to provide a door lock release device with a simple structure and low cost.

In addition, the case 12 housing the mutual separation mechanism 29 is provided with a guide shaft 53 that guides the driven slider 30 to slide along the release direction A, so that the driven slider 30 can always be held in a stable position without tilt. Therefore, the driven slider 30 can be smoothly driven in the release direction A via the first or second drive slider 31, 32 by the release operation of either the inside door handle 13 or the key cylinder lock 14, improving the operability of both the inside door handle 13 and the key cylinder lock 14.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. For example, the inside door handle 13 can be replaced with an outside door handle disposed on the outside of the door 10.

10: Door 11: Door lock release device 12: Case 13: Door handle (inside door handle)
14: key cylinder lock 15: door lock device 29: mutual separation mechanism 30: driven member (driven slider)
31: First driving member (first driving slider)
32: Second driving member (second driving slider)
52: Guide hole 53: Guide axis A: Predetermined release direction

Claims (3)

A vehicle door lock release device including a door lock device (15) that locks a door (10) in a closed state, and a door handle (13) and a key cylinder lock (14) that are individually disposed on the door (10) to unlock the door lock device (15),
A vehicle door lock release device, characterized in that the door handle (13) and the key cylinder lock (14) are connected to the door lock device (15) via a mutual separation mechanism (29), and the mutual separation mechanism (29) is configured to hold one of the door handle (13) and the key cylinder lock (14) in a non-operated position when the other of the door handle (13) and the key cylinder lock (14) is released. The vehicle door lock release device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mutual separation mechanism (29) is composed of a driven member (30) capable of unlocking the door lock device (15) by being driven in a predetermined unlocking direction (A), a first drive member (31) releasably engaged with the driven member (30) to drive the driven member (30) in the predetermined unlocking direction (A) in response to the unlocking force of the door handle (13), and a second drive member (32) releasably engaged with the driven member (30) to drive the driven member (30) in the predetermined unlocking direction (A) in response to the unlocking force of the key cylinder lock (14), and when one of the first and second drive members (31, 32) drives the driven member (30) in the predetermined unlocking direction (A), the driven member (30) is separated from the other of the first and second drive members (31, 32). The vehicle door lock release device according to claim 2, characterized in that a guide shaft (53) is provided in the case (12) housing the mutual separation mechanism (29) to pass through the guide hole (52) of the driven member (30) and guide the driven member (30) to slide along a predetermined release direction (A).