Door handle device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a door handle device that is easy to manufacture. [Solution] This door handle device comprises a handle, a base, and a spring. The handle has an arm, and the arm has a first locking portion that locks an end of the spring. The base has an accommodation portion for the spring, and a second locking portion that locks a linking part for linking two coils of the spring. The accommodation portion has two holding sections partitioned by a partition wall, and both side surfaces of the partition wall have support protrusions, respectively. The coils are engaged with the support protrusions in the holding sections. The accommodation wall has an open part, and the linking part protrudes from the open part.

Description

Door handle device

[0001] The present invention relates to a door handle device for use in a vehicle.

[0002] A vehicle door handle device includes a handle, a base, and a spring. The handle is supported so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis provided on the base. The handle is biased by the spring in the direction of closing the door.

[0003] JP 2000-145211 A JP 2008-82059 A

[0004] When attaching a spring that biases the handle to a door handle device, one end of the spring is fixed to the base, and then a special jig is used to lock both ends of the spring into the base and the handle while resisting the biasing force of the spring. This makes the door handle assembly process difficult and places a heavy burden on the worker.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a door handle device that is easy to assemble.

[0006] The door handle device according to the present invention comprises a handle portion (2), a base portion (3), and a spring (8), wherein the handle portion (2) has an arm portion (5), the arm portion (5) has a first locking portion (10) for locking an end portion (82) of the spring (8), the base portion (3) has a storage portion (9) of the spring (8) and a second locking portion (11) for locking a connecting portion (83) that connects two coils (81) of the spring (8), the storage portion (9) is separated by a partition portion (94) and has two holding portions (91) surrounded by a storage wall (92), the partition portion (94) has support protrusions (95) on both side surfaces, and each of the coils (81) is stored in the holding portion (91) and engaged with the support protrusions (95), The storage wall (92) has an opening (93), and the connecting portion (83) protrudes from the opening (93).

[0007] In addition, the door handle device of the present invention is characterized in that the arm portion (5) has a guide portion (12) adjacent to the first locking portion (10) and that guides the movement of the end portion (82) of the spring (8).

[0008] In addition, the door handle device of the present invention is characterized in that the second locking portion (11) has a center protrusion (111) and a side protrusion (112), and the connecting portion (83) is held by the center protrusion (111) and the side protrusion (112).

[0009] The door handle device constructed in this way allows the spring to be pressed into the housing, and both ends and the connecting part are locked, making it easy to install the door handle device. In addition, the guide part of the arm part makes it easy to lock both ends of the spring and the connecting part.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a door handle device that is easy to manufacture.

[0011] Fig. 1 shows the main components of the door handle device 1, with Fig. 1(A) being a perspective view of the handle portion 2, base portion 3, and spring 8, which are the main components of the door handle device 1, and Fig. 1(B) being a perspective view of the assembled door handle device 1 as seen from the rear side (inside the vehicle). Fig. 2(A) is a partially enlarged view of the side of the arm portion 5, and Fig. 2(B) is a side view showing the movement of the end portion 82 of the spring 8 during the process of locking the spring 8 to the first locking portion 10 of the arm portion 5. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the second locking portion 11, with Fig. 3(A) being a front view of the spring 8 as seen from the coil 81 side, Fig. 3(B) being a side view as seen from the support portion 7 side, and Fig. 3(C) being a top view. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the storage section 9, where Figure 4(A) is a top view of the storage section 9 storing the spring 8, Figure 4(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A, Figure 4(C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B, and Figure 4(D) is a side view seen from the side along line C-C.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the same or similar components will be designated by the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) Figure 1 shows the main configuration of a door handle device 1, Figure 1(A) is a perspective view of a handle portion 2, a base portion 3 and a spring 8, which are the main components of the door handle device 1, and Figure 1(B) is a perspective view of the assembled door handle device 1 as seen from the rear side (inside the vehicle).

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the door handle device 1 includes a handle portion 2 and a base portion 3. The handle portion 2 is a component that is operated directly by an operator's hand. The handle portion 2 is used to communicate the operator's intention to open the door and to unlock the door when it is locked.

[0015] The handle 2 includes a handhold 4 and an arm 5, and the base 3 includes an opening 6 (through-hole) for inserting the arm 5, a support 7, and a spring housing 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as housing 9) that houses and holds a spring 8 that biases the handle 2. The support 7 has a rotation shaft 71, and the arm 5 of the handle 2 has a rotation bearing 51. The handle 2 and base 3 are combined, the rotation shaft 71 is fitted into the rotation bearing 51, and the handle 2 is supported rotatably around the rotation shaft 71 of the base 3.

[0016] The rotating shaft 71 may be composed of opposing cylindrical first and second shaft portions 71a and 71b, with the second shaft portion 71b supported on the outside of the rotary bearing 51 and the first shaft portion 71a supported on the inside of the rotary bearing 51. The second shaft portion 71b may further include a shaft stopper 710 protruding from its center. The rotary bearing 51 may be composed of a first bearing portion 51a and a second bearing portion 51b that support the first shaft portion 71a and the second shaft portion 71b, respectively. The second bearing portion 51b may include a bearing hole 510 that engages with the shaft stopper 710. The shaft stopper 710 of the second shaft portion 71b is fitted into the bearing hole 510 of the second bearing portion 51b to prevent the handle portion 2 from slipping out. The outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical first shaft portion 71 a is in contact with and supported by the inner wall of the first bearing portion 51 a. By providing the shaft stopper portion 710 only on the second shaft portion 71 b, the workload of engaging the rotating shaft 71 with the rotary bearing 51 can be reduced.

[0017] A double torsion spring having two coils 81 and a connecting portion 83 connecting the two coils 81 is preferably used as the spring 8. Two ends 82 of the spring 8 are locked by first locking portions 10 of the arm portion 5 and function as points of application. The connecting portion 83 of the spring 8 is locked by second locking portions 11 of the base portion 3. The points of the connecting portion 83 locked by the second locking portions 11 function as fixed points.

[0018] FIG. 2(A) is a partially enlarged view of the side of the arm portion 5, and FIG. 2(B) is a side view showing the movement of the end 82 of the spring 8 during the process of locking the spring 8 to the first locking portion 10 of the arm portion 5. As shown in FIG. 2(A), the first locking portion 10 is provided as a recess in the arm portion 5. A guide portion 12 that guides the movement of the end 82 of the spring 8 is provided adjacent to the first locking portion 10 on the end side of the arm portion 5. As indicated by the black arrow in FIG. 2(B), during the process of accommodating the spring 8 in the accommodation portion 9, the end 82 slides on the surface of the guide portion 12 and is guided to the first locking portion 10. The end 82 of the spring 8 then fits into and is fixed in the recess that is the first locking portion 10. The end 82 engaged with the first locking portion 10 biases the arm portion 5 in the direction indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 2(B).

[0019] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing the configuration of the second locking portion 11, with Fig. 3A being a front view seen from the coil 81 side of the spring 8, Fig. 3B being a side view seen from the support portion 7 side, and Fig. 3C being a top view. In Fig. 3A, the side indicated by the symbol SH is the handhold portion 4 side of the handle portion 2, i.e., the body side of the vehicle on which the door handle device 1 is installed. The upper side means the side opposite the SH side.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3 , the second locking portion 11 has a center protrusion 111 located in the center and side protrusions 112 located on either side of it. By pushing the connecting portion 83 of the spring 8 from above, the connecting portion 83 is sandwiched between the center protrusion 111 and the side protrusions 112. The center protrusion 111 has a side wall surface that is narrow at the tip and wider on the SH side, making it easy for the center protrusion 111 to enter the inside of the connecting portion 83 of the spring 8. In addition, because the distance from the coil 81 to the second locking portion 11 is more than 30% longer than in conventional products, the load applied to the center protrusion 111 and the side protrusions 112 is reduced, improving the durability of the center protrusion 111 and the side protrusions 112.

[0021] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the storage section 9, with Fig. 4(A) being a top view of the storage section 9 storing the spring 8, Fig. 4(B) being a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A, Fig. 4(C) being a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B, and Fig. 4(D) being a side view seen from line C-C. Note that in Fig. 4, the spring 8 is indicated by a dotted line. In Figs. 4(B), (C), and (D), the side indicated by the symbol SH is the handhold portion 4 side of the handle portion 2, i.e., the body side of the vehicle on which the door handle device 1 is installed. The upper part refers to the side opposite the SH side.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4A , the housing 9 is a box-shaped member that houses the two coils 81 of the spring 8 in their entirety, and includes two adjacent spring holding portions (fitting portions) 91 (hereinafter referred to as holding portions 91), which are surrounded by a housing wall 92. A cutout portion 93 (opening portion) is provided in a portion of the housing wall 92, and the connecting portion 83 is configured to protrude outside the housing 9 through the cutout portion 93. As a result, the connecting portion 83 can be fixed to the second locking portion 11. The end portion 82 of the spring 8 extends (protrudes) through the upper surface of the housing wall 92 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the connecting portion 83, and is locked to the first locking portion 10 of the arm portion 5.

[0023] The housing wall 92 has opposing first and second inner wall surfaces S921 and S922. The coil 81 is housed between the first and second inner wall surfaces S921 and S922. The housing 9 has a box-like shape, which makes it easy to hold the spring in a stable position. This eliminates the need for a dedicated jig for attaching the spring, significantly improving assembly efficiency. Furthermore, the box-like structure does not have an axis for holding the spring, which simplifies the structure of the mold, resulting in significant advantages such as reduced costs and improved maintainability.

[0024] The accommodation section 9 is provided with a partition wall 94 (partition plate) sandwiched between two holding sections 91. That is, the two holding sections 91 are separated by the partition wall 94. Support protrusions 95 with inclined surfaces are provided on both sides of the partition wall 94. The support protrusions 95 protrude further from the partition wall 94 toward the SH side. The SH-side end face of the support protrusion 95 is arc-shaped, and the radius of curvature is preferably 90% of the inner diameter of the coil 81. When the spring 8 is accommodated in the accommodation section 9, the SH-side end face of the support protrusion 95 is positioned inside the coil 81 and engages with and supports the coil 81. The support protrusion 95 functions as a guide rod for the coil 81, which is a torsion spring. The spring 8 is a double torsion spring in which two coils 81 are connected by a connecting section 83, and is therefore stably held by the two support protrusions 95 provided on both sides of the partition wall 94.

[0025] Support protrusions 95 that support the coil 81 are provided only on the partition wall portion 94. The housing wall 92 facing the support protrusions 95 has a smooth surface without any protrusions, and serves as a sliding surface when the coil 81 is inserted into the housing portion 9. Therefore, when the coil 81 is inserted into the housing portion 9, the deflection (contraction width) of the coil 81 of the spring 8 is small, which increases the degree of freedom in the number of turns of the spring 8 and contributes to improving durability.

[0026] The two holding portions 91 and the support protrusion 95 are arranged so that the central axes of the two coils 81 are aligned on the same straight line as the rotation axis 71 of the support portion 7 .

[0027] The inclined surface of the center protrusion 111 of the second locking portion 11 acts in a direction to widen the gap between the two coils 81, facilitating insertion of the coils 81 into the housing portion 9. The partition 94 is a single solid piece. Therefore, pressure from the two coils 81 contacting the opposing side surfaces of the partition 94 is offset, making the partition 94 highly durable.

[0028] Furthermore, since the distance between both ends 82 of the spring 8 and the connecting portion 83 is long, it is possible to accurately position the spring 8. This reduces variations in the mounting position of the spring 8 in the door handle device 1, which contributes to maintaining and managing product quality.

[0029] (Manufacturing Process of Door Handle Device) The following describes the manufacturing process of the door handle device 1. In the manufacturing process of the door handle device 1, first, the arm portion 5 of the handle portion 2 is inserted into the opening 6 of the base portion 3, and the rotation shaft 71 of the support portion 7 is supported by the rotation bearing 51 of the arm portion 5. This process is a process of assembling the handle portion 2 and the base portion 3.

[0030] Next, the two coils 81 of the spring 8 are brought into contact with the end surface of the housing portion 9 (the surface facing the SH side), the end 82 of the spring 8 is brought into contact with the end of the arm portion 5, and the end of the connecting portion 83 of the spring 8 is brought into contact with the tip of the center protrusion 111 so as to sandwich the center protrusion 111. This process is a temporary placement process of the spring 8.

[0031] Preferably, the coil 81 is configured so that the side surfaces of the coil 81 contact the first inner wall surface S921 and the second inner wall surface S922 when no load is applied to the coil 8. In the step of attaching the spring 8, the coil 81 is held between the first inner wall surface S921 and the second inner wall surface S922, and the spring 8 is temporarily held in the holding portion 91 of the accommodation portion 9. Because the position of the spring 8 is determined in this way in the temporary placement (temporary holding) step, it becomes easy to automate the attachment of the spring 8 using a device or the like in the next step.

[0032] Next, when the spring 8 is pressed, the end portion 82 slides along the surface of the guide portion 12 of the arm portion 5 and fits into the recess of the first locking portion 10, and the connecting portion 83 is held and fixed by the center protrusion 111 and side protrusion 112 of the second locking portion 11. Furthermore, one end face of the coil 81 slides along the inclined surface of the support protrusion 95, and the other end face slides along the third inner wall surface S923 of the housing wall 92 facing the support protrusion 95. The coil 81 of the spring 8 is once narrowed, and then expands again and is supported by the support protrusion 95. The connecting portion 83, which protrudes out of the housing portion 9 from the cutout portion 93 of the housing portion 9, expands the area that presses the spring 8, making it easier to push the coil 81 into the holding portion 91 of the housing portion 9. This process is the mounting process of the spring 8.

[0033] In this way, the spring 8 can be easily installed by simply pushing it in, without the need for a special jig. The guide shape of the handle has the advantage that the assembly process of the door handle device 1 can be automated without manual intervention.

[0034] In the door handle device 1 according to the present invention, the configuration of the first locking portion 10 of the arm portion 5, the second locking portion 11 of the base portion 3, and the housing portion 9 facilitates the assembly of the spring 8. Furthermore, this configuration employs a double torsion spring in which two coils are connected as the spring 8, which particularly effectively facilitates the assembly of the door handle device 1.

[0035] The door handle device according to the present invention is easy to manufacture and can be applied to various vehicle bodies. It also reduces the workload of assembly workers and allows for automation of the manufacture of door handle devices. This contributes to reducing manufacturing costs and has high industrial applicability.

[0036] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door handle device 2 Handle portion 3 Base portion (base portion) 4 Handhold portion 5 Arm portion 51 Rotational bearing 51a First bearing portion 51b Second bearing portion 510 Bearing hole 6 Opening portion (through portion) 7 Support portion 71 Rotational shaft 71a First shaft portion 71b Second shaft portion 710 Shaft stop portion 8 Spring 81 Coil 82 End portion 83 Connecting portion 9 Spring accommodating portion 10 First locking portion 11 Second locking portion 111 Center protrusion portion 112 Side protrusion portion 12 Guide portion 91 Retaining portion (fitting portion) 92 Accommodating wall S921 First inner wall surface S922 Second inner wall surface S923 Third inner wall surface 93 Notch portion (open portion) 94 Partition wall (partition plate) 95 Support protrusion

Claims

1. A device comprising a handle portion (2), a base portion (3), and a spring (8), wherein the handle portion (2) has an arm portion (5), the arm portion (5) has a first locking portion (10) that locks an end portion (82) of the spring (8), the base portion (3) has a storage portion (9) of the spring (8) and a second locking portion (11) that locks a connecting portion (83) that connects two coils (81) of the spring (8), the storage portion (9) is separated by a partition portion (94) and has two holding portions (91) surrounded by a storage wall (92), and has support protrusions (95) on both side surfaces of the partition portion (94), and each of the coils (81) is stored in the holding portion (91) and engaged with the support protrusions (95), The door handle device is characterized in that the storage wall (92) has an opening (93), and the connecting portion (83) protrudes from the opening (93).

2. The door handle according to claim 1, characterized in that the arm portion (5) has a guide portion (12) adjacent to the first locking portion (10) and which guides the movement of the end (82) of the spring (8).

3. A door handle device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the second engaging portion (11) has a center protrusion (111) and a side protrusion (112), and the connecting portion (83) is held by the center protrusion (111) and the side protrusion (112).

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