Vehicle door lock device

Abstract

To provide a door lock device for a vehicle, which allows the door to be opened whenever you want while suppressing opening of the door caused by a careless handle operation.SOLUTION: This door lock device for a vehicle comprises: a mechanical switching mechanism 30 that can switch between a mechanical lock state where motion of a door handle 10 is not transmitted to a latch 20 and a mechanical unlock state where the motion of the door handle 10 is transmitted to the latch 20; an actuator 50 that can switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock state to the mechanical lock state; and control means 60 for controlling an operation of the actuator 50. When it is determined that one of a plurality of relock conditions is established and the mechanical switching mechanism 30 switches from the mechanical lock state to the mechanical unlock state, the control means 60 immediately drives the actuator 50 to switch from the mechanical unlock state to the mechanical lock state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle door lock device that performs latch control.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, efforts have been actively made to provide access to a sustainable transportation system that takes into account people in vulnerable positions such as the elderly, disabled, and children among traffic participants. In order to achieve this, research and development have focused on further improving traffic safety and convenience through the development of vehicle boarding and alighting performance. Among such efforts, for a door lock device, a configuration has been proposed that includes an automatic switching mechanism for electric operation of the lock-unlock operation and a manual switching mechanism for manual operation. For example, in Patent Document 1, a method has been proposed to prevent the door from opening at an unintended timing by operating an automatic switching mechanism during manual operation of the door handle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the method proposed in Patent Document 1, for a locked door, the door lock is released by the first manual handle operation. Then, by performing a second handle operation immediately after the first handle operation, the door opens. In addition, when a predetermined time has elapsed without manually operating the door handle after the first handle operation, the automatic switching mechanism operates and returns from the unlocked state to the locked state. Thus, in Patent Document 1, as a condition for the automatic switching mechanism to operate during manual operation of the door handle, the elapsed time from the first operation is set. However, if the elapsed time is too short, the door may not open, and if the elapsed time is too long, there is a risk that the door may open due to an inadvertent second handle operation. That is, the method proposed in Patent Document 1 can be said to be a method with room for improvement from the viewpoints of preventing mischievous operations by children (so-called child lock) and improving anti-theft performance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle door lock device that can suppress the door from being opened by an inadvertent handle operation and can be opened when the door is desired to be opened. And, by extension, it contributes to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle door lock device according to the present invention includes a mechanical lock form in which the movement of the door handle is not transmitted to the latch, a mechanical unlock form in which the movement of the door handle is transmitted to the latch, a mechanical switching mechanism that can be switched between the two, an actuator that can switch the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form, and a control means that controls the operation of the actuator. The control means determines that any one of a plurality of re-lock conditions is satisfied, and when the mechanical switching mechanism is switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, immediately drives the actuator to switch from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle door lock device that can suppress the door from being opened by an inadvertent handle operation and can be opened when the door is desired to be opened. And it can contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The vehicle door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. In the description, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted. The vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment is installed on a door (not shown) that opens and closes an entrance / exit (not shown) that opens on the side of the vehicle. The door (not shown) is composed of a so-called hinged door, and the front edge portion of the door is supported by the front edge portion of the entrance / exit via a hinge, and the rear edge side of the door swings.

[0010] Further, the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment includes a door handle 10, a latch 20, a mechanical switching mechanism 30, a cylinder lock 40, an actuator 50, and a control means 60 (see FIG. 1). Note that the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment includes a manual lock structure and an electric lock structure. The manual lock structure also serves as a configuration for manually opening the door, that is, a configuration for manually releasing the latch 20 (manual latch release structure). The manual lock structure locks the door by mechanically blocking the linkage within the manual latch release structure. The electric lock structure locks the door by electrically blocking the configuration for opening the door electrically, that is, the configuration for releasing the latch 20 electrically (electric latch release structure), so that it does not function. And in the following description, the manual lock structure will be mainly described.

[0011] The door handle 10 is an operating member for manually releasing the door lock (see FIGS. 1 to 4). As the door handle 10, an inner handle 11 (a door handle on the passenger compartment side) and an outer handle 12 are installed for each door. The inner handle 11 (a door handle on the passenger compartment side) is an operating member for manually releasing the door lock from inside the vehicle and opening the door, and is attached to an inner panel (not shown) that constitutes the inner surface of the door. In addition, each inner handle 11 is provided with an inner handle switch 11a whose ON-OFF is switched in conjunction with the handle operation.

[0012] The outer handle 12 is an operating member for opening the door from outside the vehicle, and is attached to an outer panel (not shown) that constitutes the outer surface of the door. In addition, each outer handle 12 is provided with an outer handle switch 12a whose ON-OFF is switched in conjunction with the handle operation. And these inner handle switches 11a and outer handle switches 12a are collectively referred to as the handle switch 13. Based on the signals output from these handle switches 13, it is determined which of the inner handle 11 and the outer handle 12 has been operated. Also, hereinafter, the door handle operation for opening the door is referred to as an opening operation.

[0013] The latch 20 is configured to be detachably engaged with a striker 21 protruding from the entrance, and is installed at the trailing edge of the door for each door. The latch 20 is configured to be switched between an engaged state or a released state (see FIGS. 1 to 4). In the engaged state, the latch 20 engages with the striker 21 when the door is closed and the engagement with the striker 21 is maintained (see FIGS. 1 to 3). Thereby, the closed state of the door is maintained.

[0014] In addition, in the released state, the engagement between the latch 20 and the striker 21 is released (see FIG. 4). Thereby, the door is in a state where it can be freely opened and closed. Furthermore, the latch 20 in the released state is configured to be switched from the released state to the engaged state by the striker 21 when the door is closed. The switching of the latch 20 from the engaged state to the released state is performed by the mechanical switching mechanism 30 in the case of manual operation, and by the actuator 50 in the case of electric operation. The latch 20 is provided with a latch switch 20a whose ON-OFF is switched in conjunction with the switching between the engaged state and the released state.

[0015] The mechanical switching mechanism 30 mechanically links the door handle 10 and the latch 20 and is configured to transmit the movement of the door handle 10 due to the opening operation to the latch 20, and is arranged for each door (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The mechanical switching mechanism 30 combines a link (not shown), a cam (not shown), etc. to transmit the movement of the door handle 10 due to the opening operation to the latch 20. In addition, the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is configured to be selectively switchable between a mechanical lock form in which the movement of the door handle 10 is not transmitted to the latch 20 and a mechanical unlock form in which the movement of the door handle 10 is transmitted to the latch 20.

[0016] In the mechanical lock form, the linkage inside the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is disengaged and the movement of the door handle 10 is not transmitted to the latch 20, so the door is in a locked state. Therefore, even if the user operates the door handle 10 once, the door cannot be opened.

[0017] The switching from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form is performed by operating the inner handle 11. Note that the switching from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form (door unlocking) by operating the outer handle is prohibited from the viewpoints of anti-theft and crime prevention. Therefore, in order to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form from outside the vehicle, it is performed by operating the cylinder lock 40 and the remote control key described later. Also, in the mechanical unlock form, since the inside of the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is linked, the movement of the door handle 10 is transmitted to the latch 20.

[0018] That is, in the state where the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is switched to the mechanical unlock form, the door is in an unlocked state, and the user can open the door by operating the door handle 10. Therefore, the user can open the door by continuously operating the inner handle 11 twice from the door locked state (the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is in the mechanical lock form). Note that in the state where the door is unlocked, the door can be opened by operating either the inner handle 11 or the outer handle 12. Also, the switching from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form is performed by an actuator. The switching from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form after the door is opened is performed by a door lock operation by the user such as a remote control key operation, a cylinder lock operation, or a handle switch operation.

[0019] Also, the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is provided with a lock sensor 30a whose ON-OFF is switched in conjunction with the switching between the mechanical lock form and the mechanical unlock form. Regarding the linkage between the mechanical switching mechanism 30 and the latch 20, the movement from the mechanical switching mechanism 30 to the latch 20 is transmitted, but the movement from the latch 20 to the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is not always transmitted.

[0020] The cylinder lock 40 is installed near the outer handle 12 on the outer panel. The cylinder lock 40 is operated using a key (not shown) carried by the user. By operating the cylinder lock 40, the user can arbitrarily switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 between the mechanical lock form and the mechanical unlock form.

[0021] In addition, the cylinder lock 40 is provided with a cylinder switch 40a whose ON-OFF is switched in conjunction with the key-based lock switching operation. Hereinafter, the key-based lock switching operation is referred to as a key operation. Also, the cylinder lock 40 can switch the form of the mechanical switching mechanism 30, but cannot switch the latch 20 from the engaged form to the released form.

[0022] The actuator 50 is configured to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form during manual operation and to switch the latch 20 from the engaged form to the released form during electric operation (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The actuator 50 is arranged for each door. The movement of the actuator 50 is controlled by the control means 60. The actuator 50 is driven by an electric motor (not shown) controlled by the control means 60.

[0023] The control means 60 controls the movement of the actuator 50 for each door based on output signals from various sensors, switches, etc. (see FIGS. 1 to 4). Output signals from the aforementioned handle switch 13 (inner handle switch 11a, outer handle switch 12a), latch switch 20a, lock sensor 30a, and cylinder switch 40a are input to the control means 60. In addition, output signals from a timer unit 61, a child lock unit 62, a user authentication unit 63, an attitude determination unit 64, and a mode determination unit 65 are input to the control means 60. The control means 60 includes a display unit 70 that displays the state of the vehicle door lock device DR, such as which form the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is in and the state of the electronic lock.

[0024] When the control means 60 determines that the conditions for re-locking are met, it drives the actuator 50 to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form (door lock). Furthermore, when the control means 60 determines that a latch release is requested by the user through an electric operation, it drives the actuator 50 to switch the latch 20 from the engaged form to the released form. Also, when the control means 60 determines that the electronic lock is engaged when a latch release is requested through an electric operation, it does not drive the actuator 50 and keeps the latch 20 in the engaged form. When the control means 60 determines that the cylinder lock 40 has been key-operated with a proper key when the form of the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has changed, it keeps it in the changed form.

[0025] The timer unit 61 outputs the time elapsed since the mechanical switching mechanism 30 switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form. Then, the control means 60 determines whether the input elapsed time has exceeded the set time. When the control means 60 determines that the set time (elapsed time after switching) has elapsed, it drives the actuator 50 to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form.

[0026] From the child lock unit 62, a switching prohibition signal is output that prohibits the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from switching from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form by the opening operation with the inner handle 11 (child lock). And the child lock can be set for each door. Therefore, for a door for which the child lock is not set, the mechanical switching mechanism 30 can be switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form by the opening operation with the inner handle 11. When the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is switched to the mechanical unlock form by the inner handle 11 for a door for which the control means 60 has confirmed the child lock, the control means 60 immediately switches the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form without waiting for the expiration of the elapsed time. Further, when the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is switched to the mechanical unlock form in a state where the child lock cannot be confirmed, the control means 60 maintains the mechanical unlock form.

[0027] From the user authentication unit 63, it is output that a legitimate user is near the vehicle (user authentication). That is, user authentication is set as a condition for relocking the vehicle door lock device DR. When the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is switched to the mechanical unlock form while the control means 60 has confirmed that a legitimate user is near the vehicle, the control means 60 determines that it is an unlocking operation by the legitimate user and maintains the mechanical unlock form. Further, when the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is switched to the mechanical unlock form in a state where the control means 60 cannot confirm that a legitimate user is near the vehicle, the control means 60 determines that it is an unauthorized unlocking operation and immediately switches to the mechanical lock form without waiting for the expiration of the elapsed time.

[0028] From the attitude determination unit 64, the inclination angle of the vehicle is output (change in inclination angle). That is, attitude determination is set as a condition for relocking the vehicle door lock device DR. The control means 60 compares the inclination angle of the vehicle memorized during the previous attitude determination with the inclination angle of the vehicle input this time. When the mechanical switching mechanism 30 switches to the mechanical unlock form while the attitude change (angle change) of the vehicle body is confirmed, the control means 60 immediately switches to the mechanical lock form without waiting for the expiration of the elapsed time.

[0029] For example, since the attitude of the vehicle body changes finely during vehicle travel, when the mechanical switching mechanism 30 switches from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form during travel, the control means 60 immediately switches to the mechanical lock form. For this reason, even if an inadvertent steering operation is performed during travel, the door remains locked. Also, when the mechanical switching mechanism 30 switches from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form during parking, the control means 60 determines whether it is an unauthorized operation on the vehicle or an operation for maintenance based on the output from the mode determination unit 65.

[0030] Note that the control means 60 updates the memorized inclination angle of the vehicle to the latest one each time the attitude is determined. However, during parking with the ignition turned off, the control means 60 can be in a determination mode in which it performs the next attitude determination without updating, while memorizing the inclination angle of the vehicle body when the authorized user leaves the vehicle. In such a determination mode, the control means 60 determines that the attitude of the vehicle has changed during parking, and even after re-locking, repeatedly performs the attitude determination based on the inclination angle memorized when parking, instead of the inclination angle at the time of re-locking.

[0031] The set control mode is output from the mode determination unit 65 (mode determination). Note that the mode determination in the present embodiment does not constitute the re-locking condition alone, but constitutes the conditional branching conditions in the above-described attitude determination. In the present embodiment, a lock mode and an unlock mode are set as the control modes. Note that the lock mode is a control mode that holds the mechanical switching mechanism 30 in the mechanical lock form. The lock mode is the control mode mainly selected when the vehicle is being driven and run by a regular user during normal use. Therefore, when the attitude change (tilt angle change) of the vehicle body is confirmed in the state where the lock mode is selected and the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is switched to the mechanical unlock form, the control means 60 immediately switches to the mechanical lock form.

[0032] Also, the unlock mode is a control mode that prohibits the switching of the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form. That is, in the unlock mode, even when an attitude change of the vehicle body is confirmed, the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is held in the current form, and switching from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form is possible. Therefore, during the unlock mode, even if there is an attitude change (tilt angle change) of the vehicle body, it will not switch to the mechanical lock form, so it is possible to prevent mechanical locking at an unintended timing by the user. Such an unlock mode is the control mode mainly selected in situations where an angle change of the vehicle body is assumed during vehicle maintenance such as tire replacement.

[0033] Note that in this embodiment, two modes, the lock mode and the unlock mode, are set, but it is also possible to set a control mode different from these control modes. For example, it is possible to set a forced unlock mode that forcibly holds the mechanical switching mechanism 30 in the mechanical unlock form. When such a control mode is set, it becomes possible to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 of all doors to the mechanical unlock form. Therefore, the forced unlock mode is a control mode suitable for cases where it is desired to unlock all doors at once.

[0034] Next, the specific operation of the vehicle door lock device DR will be described using a flowchart (see Fig. 5). Note that the flowchart is set to repeat for each door at a preset cycle. That is, the determination result for one door is only used for switching the mechanical switching mechanism 30 of that door, and is not used for the determination for switching the mechanical switching mechanism 30 of other doors.

[0035] The control means 60 that has started control first determines, in step S101, whether or not a key operation using a regular key has been performed on the cylinder lock 40. If it is determined that it is a key operation with a regular key, the control means 60 determines that it is an emergency unlocking operation, and ends the routine regardless of which form the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched to. Also, if it is determined that a key operation using a regular key has not been performed on the cylinder lock 40, the control means 60 proceeds to step S102.

[0036] In step S102, the control means 60 determines whether or not the angle of the vehicle has changed based on the output signal of the attitude determination unit 64. If it is determined that the inclination angle of the vehicle has changed compared to the stored inclination angle of the vehicle, the control means 60 proceeds to step S109. Also, if it is determined that the angle of the vehicle has not changed, the control means 60 proceeds to step S103.

[0037] In step S103, the control means 60 determines whether or not it is a child lock based on the output signal of the child lock unit 62. If it is determined that it is a child lock, the control means 60 proceeds to step S108. Also, if it is determined that it is not a child lock, the control means 60 proceeds to step S104.

[0038] In step S104, the control means 60 determines whether the user is a legitimate user based on the output signal of the user authentication unit 63. If it is determined that the user is a legitimate user, the control means 60 proceeds to step S105. If it is determined that the user is not a legitimate user, the control means 60 proceeds to step S110.

[0039] In step S105, the control means 60 determines whether the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is in the mechanically unlocked form. Here, instead of determining the operation of switching from the mechanically locked form to the mechanically unlocked form, it is determined whether the current form is the mechanically locked form. If it is determined that it is not in the mechanically unlocked form (i.e., it is in the mechanically locked form), the control means 60 ends the routine. If it is determined that it is in the mechanically unlocked form, the control means 60 proceeds to step S106.

[0040] In step S106, the control means 60 determines whether the time elapsed since switching to the mechanically unlocked form has reached the set time (elapsed time after switching) based on the output signal of the timer unit 61. If it is determined that the elapsed time after switching has reached the set time, the control means 60 proceeds to step S107. If it is determined that the elapsed time after switching has not reached the set time, the control means 60 proceeds to step S101.

[0041] In step S107, the control means 60 activates the actuator 50 to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanically unlocked form to the mechanically locked form and ends the routine (relock).

[0042] In step S108, the control means 60 determines whether the inner handle 11 has been operated. When it is determined that the inner handle 11 has been operated, the control means 60 proceeds to step S110 on the assumption that the inner handle 11 of the door with the child lock set has been operated. Also, when it is determined that the inner handle 11 has not been operated, the control means 60 proceeds to step S104.

[0043] In step S109, the control means 60 determines the control mode based on the output signal of the mode determination unit 65 in a state where a change in the tilt angle has been confirmed. When it is determined that it is the unlock mode, the control means 60 ends the routine. Also, when it is determined that it is not the unlock mode (it is the lock mode), the control means 60 proceeds to step S110.

[0044] In step S110, the control means 60 determines whether the mechanical switching mechanism 30 is in the mechanical unlock form. Here, similar to step S105, it does not determine the operation of switching from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, but determines whether the current form is the mechanical lock form. When it is determined that it is not the mechanical unlock form (it is the mechanical lock form), the control means 60 ends the routine. Also, when it is determined that it is the mechanical unlock form, the control means 60 proceeds to step S111.

[0045] In step S111, the control means 60 operates the actuator 50 on the assumption that the re-lock condition is satisfied, switches the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form, and ends the routine (re-lock).

[0046] Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described. In the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment, a plurality of re-lock conditions are set. When the control means 60 determines that any one of the re-lock conditions is satisfied and also determines that the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, the actuator 50 is immediately activated to switch from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form. This suppresses the door from being opened by an inadvertent handle operation, while allowing the door to be opened when desired. In addition, since the actuator 50 is used to switch from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form, there is no need to provide a dedicated link structure for each re-lock condition, and the configuration of the entire device can be simplified.

[0047] In the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment, in addition to a plurality of re-lock conditions, it is set to determine whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form. When the control means 60 determines that the elapsed time has expired, the actuator 50 is immediately activated to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form. In addition, when the control means 60 determines that even one of the re-lock conditions has been satisfied before the elapsed time has expired, the actuator 50 is immediately activated to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form.

[0048] With such a configuration, after switching from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, if the second handle operation is not performed, it will switch to the mechanical lock form after the elapsed time has expired. In addition, when a re-lock condition is satisfied after switching from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, it immediately switches to the mechanical lock form. This can prevent the mechanical unlock state from continuing for longer than the time required for the door opening operation, and can suppress the door from being opened in a situation where the door opening is not desired (a situation where the re-lock condition is satisfied).

[0049] In the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment, a child lock that prohibits switching to the mechanical unlock mode is provided as one of the relock conditions. The child lock can be set for each door. When the control means 60 determines that the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched to the mechanical unlock mode by the inner handle 11 (the in-vehicle door handle) for the door with the child lock set, the control means 60 immediately operates the actuator 50 to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock mode to the mechanical lock mode. With such a configuration, a link structure for restricting the switching from the mechanical lock mode to the mechanical unlock mode can be omitted. That is, a link structure for the so-called child lock can be omitted. Thereby, while simplifying the mechanical switching mechanism 30, the vehicle door lock device DR can be made multifunctional.

[0050] In the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment, user authentication for determining whether the user is a legitimate user is provided as one of the relock conditions. When the control means 60 determines that the user is not a legitimate user and determines that the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched from the mechanical lock mode to the mechanical unlock mode, the control means 60 immediately operates the actuator 50 to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock mode to the mechanical lock mode. With such a configuration, an unlocking operation (illegal unlocking operation) by a person other than the legitimate user can be prevented, so that the anti-theft performance can be improved.

[0051] In the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment, posture determination for determining whether the inclination angle of the vehicle has changed is set as one of the relock conditions. When the control means 60 determines that the inclination angle of the vehicle is changing and that the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, it immediately activates the actuator 50 to switch the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form. With such a configuration, when the inclination angle of the vehicle changes during parking, it is considered that there may have been some kind of influence on the vehicle in order to perform an unauthorized unlocking such as so-called picking.

[0052] Therefore, by switching to the mechanical lock form, the anti-theft performance is improved. Also, during driving, due to acceleration / deceleration and road surface irregularities, etc., the inclination angle of the vehicle is constantly changing. For this reason, even if the door handle 10 is operated during driving and the mechanical unlock form is entered, it immediately switches to the mechanical lock form, so the door will not open during driving and the safety performance is improved.

[0053] In the vehicle door lock device DR of the present embodiment, a plurality of control modes are set, and one of the control modes is provided with an unlock mode. When the control means 60 determines that the inclination angle of the vehicle has changed and that the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form when the unlock mode is not selected (the lock mode is selected), it immediately switches the mechanical switching mechanism 30 from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form. Also, when the control means 60 determines that the inclination angle of the vehicle has changed and that the mechanical switching mechanism 30 has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form when the unlock mode is selected, it maintains the mechanical unlock form. With such a configuration, during vehicle maintenance, etc., in the posture change during parking other than unauthorized unlocking such as picking, it will not switch to the mechanical lock form. As a result, the convenience during vehicle maintenance is improved.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, it is set to repeat the routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 at a predetermined cycle, but the present invention is not limited to such a form. For example, it is possible to set the routine to be executed when any one of the inner handle 11, the outer handle 12, and the cylinder lock 40 is operated. Even in such a form, the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In addition, by adopting such a form, the number of times of executing the routine can be reduced, and thus power consumption can be reduced.

[0055] In addition, in this embodiment, the mode switching of the mechanical switching mechanism 30 and the mode switching of the latch 20 are performed by one actuator 50, but a configuration in which dedicated actuators for switching each mode are provided may also be adopted. In addition, in this embodiment, the manual latch release structure and the electric latch release structure function separately, but it is also possible to adopt a form in which the manual latch release structure and the electric latch release structure are linked.

[0056] For example, it is possible to adopt a form in which control is switched according to the magnitude of the movement of the inner handle 11. In this case, when the inner handle 11 is operated slightly, the control means 60 drives the actuator 50 to switch the latch 20 from the engaged state to the released state, and the door is opened. On the other hand, when the inner handle 11 is operated largely, the mechanical switching mechanism 30 switches the latch 20 from the engaged state to the released state, and the door is opened.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0057] Door Locking Device for DR Vehicles 10 Door Handle 20 Latch 30 Mechanical Switching Mechanism 50 Actuator 60 Control Means

Claims

1. A mechanical switching mechanism that can be switched between a mechanical lock mode in which the movement of the door handle is not transmitted to the latch and a mechanical unlock mode in which the movement of the door handle is transmitted to the latch, An actuator that can switch the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock mode to the mechanical lock mode, Control means for controlling the operation of the actuator, Comprising, The control means, When it is determined that any one of a plurality of re-lock conditions is satisfied and the mechanical switching mechanism is switched from the mechanical lock mode to the mechanical unlock mode, the actuator is immediately driven to switch from the mechanical unlock mode to the mechanical lock mode A vehicle door lock device characterized by the above.

2. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1, The expiration of the elapsed time for determining whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the mechanical switching mechanism is switched from the mechanical lock mode to the mechanical unlock mode is set, The control means, When it is determined that the elapsed time has expired, the actuator is operated to switch the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock mode to the mechanical lock mode, When it is determined that any one of the re-lock conditions is satisfied before the elapsed time after the switching has elapsed, the actuator is immediately operated to switch the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock mode to the mechanical lock mode A vehicle door lock device characterized by the above.

3. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1 or claim 2, One of the re-lock conditions, A child lock that prohibits switching to the mechanical unlock mode is set, The control means, When it is determined to be a child lock and the mechanical switching mechanism of the door with the child lock set is switched from the mechanical lock mode to the mechanical unlock mode by operating the vehicle compartment side door handle of the door with the child lock set, the actuator is immediately operated to switch the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock mode to the mechanical lock mode A vehicle door lock device characterized by the above.

4. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1 or claim 2, One of the re-lock conditions, User authentication for determining whether or not the user is a regular user is set, The control means, When it is determined that the user is a regular user and the mechanical switching mechanism has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, the actuator is immediately activated to switch the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form. A vehicle door lock device characterized by the above.

5. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein One of the relock conditions is A posture determination for determining whether the inclination angle of the vehicle has changed is set, The control means is When it is determined that the inclination angle has changed and the mechanical switching mechanism has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, the actuator is immediately activated to switch the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form. A vehicle door lock device characterized by the above.

6. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 5, wherein The control means is In one of the set plurality of control modes, an unlock mode for prohibiting the switching of the mechanical switching mechanism from the mechanical unlock form to the mechanical lock form is provided, When the unlock mode is selected, When it is determined that the inclination angle has changed and the mechanical switching mechanism has switched from the mechanical lock form to the mechanical unlock form, Maintain the mechanical unlock form A vehicle door lock device characterized by the above.

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