Vehicle door unlocking device

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle door unlocking device which is capable of easily enabling a door to be in an unlocked state when a vehicle collides and the like, and is excellent in safety and cost performance. A vehicle door unlocking device (20) is configured so as to be able to unlock a door (12) by a door lock section (11) in accordance with the state of a vehicle (10). The vehicle door unlocking device (20) is provided with an unlocking operation part (21) and a module mechanism (22). The release operation part (21) is disposed on the door (12), can be unlocked by manual operation, and is mechanically connected to the door lock part (11). The module mechanism (22) is a device in which the release operation part (21) is housed in the door (12) so as to be able to protrude to the outside of the door (12).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle door unlocking device. Background Art

[0002] The door of a common vehicle is provided with an outside door handle and a locking part. When the passenger opens the door from outside the vehicle, the locking part is unlocked and the outside door handle is pulled toward the passenger side. In this way, the locking mechanism of the door is released, and the door can be rotated or slid to open.

[0003] In recent years, vehicles are equipped with electronically controlled release mechanisms that replace the release of the locking mechanism by pulling the outer door handle with electrical control. In the electronically controlled release mechanism, if the passenger operates a sensor provided on the door, the actuator releases the locking mechanism based on the detection of the sensor. Then, the passenger can open the door.

[0004] In the case of this electronically controlled release mechanism, although it has an advantage that the occupant can easily release the door lock mechanism under normal circumstances, it has a problem that the lock mechanism cannot be released by the actuator when the vehicle crashes or when the power is lost.

[0005] In order to deal with this problem, a mechanism that can manually unlock the door when a vehicle accident occurs has been invented. Patent Documents 1 to 3 describe this mechanism.

[0006] Prior art literature Patent Literature Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6180080 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2021-110225 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 6725146 Summary of the invention Technical issues However, the inventions described in the aforementioned patent documents still have room for improvement from the perspective of security during unlocking.

[0007] Specifically, in the inventions described in the aforementioned patent documents, the door is unlocked by applying a tensile force to a member or the like outside the door, so that a third person other than the occupant may be able to unlock the door by operating from the outside.

[0008] In addition, in the inventions described in the aforementioned patent documents, when the vehicle crashes or when the power is lost, if the door is mechanically unlocked, it is sometimes not easy to return to the original state. Therefore, in order to return the unlocked door to the original state, it is necessary to seek help from a maintenance person, etc. In this case, the cost and time required to return the door to the original state arise.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door unlocking device that can easily unlock a door in the event of a vehicle collision or the like and that is excellent in safety and cost-effectiveness.

[0010] Technical Solution A vehicle door unlocking device according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it is configured to release the lock of a door by a door locking portion according to the state of the vehicle, and comprises: a release operating portion, which is arranged on the door and can be unlocked by manual operation and is mechanically connected to the door locking portion; and a module mechanism, which allows the release operating portion to be stored in the door in a state in which it can protrude to the outside of the door.

[0011] Effects of the Invention According to the vehicle door unlocking device of one embodiment of the present invention, the release operation portion is made to protrude to the outside of the door by the operation of the occupant according to the state of the vehicle, such as when a collision occurs or when the power is lost, so that the release operation portion can be pulled. In this way, the door lock portion mechanically connected to the release operation portion is in an unlocked state, and the door can be in an open state. Therefore, when a collision occurs or when the power is lost, the door can be opened from the outside, and the occupants in the vehicle can be rescued smoothly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a side view showing a vehicle equipped with the door unlocking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2A It is a perspective view showing the door unlocking device and its vicinity according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2B It is a perspective view showing the door unlocking device and its vicinity according to the embodiment of the present invention from another angle.

[0015] Figure 3A It is a perspective view showing a door unlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3B It is an exploded perspective view showing the door unlocking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 41 is a block diagram showing a connection structure of a door unlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5A It is a perspective view showing the operation of causing the key cylinder to protrude to the outside in the door unlocking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 5B This is a perspective view showing a state in which the key cylinder protrudes outward in the door unlocking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Explanation of symbols 10: Vehicles 11: Door locking unit 12: Door 13: Body 14: Opening and closing operation part 15: Concave part 16: Locking operation unit 17: Lead 18: Keyhole 20: Door unlocking device 21: Release operation unit 211: Lock cylinder 212: Locking part 22: Modular structure 221: Module body 23: Force application part 231: Spring 24: Operation control unit 25: Collision detection unit 26: Airbag 27: Mounting hole 28: Through hole DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, the door unlocking device 20 and the vehicle 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the following description, the front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right directions are used, and left and right refer to left and right when the vehicle 10 is viewed from the front. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in principle, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0021] Figure 1 1 is a side view showing a vehicle 10 equipped with the door unlocking device 20 .

[0022] The vehicle 10 is, for example, an engine vehicle, an EV (Electric Vehicle), an HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or the like.

[0023] The vehicle body 13 of the vehicle 10 is provided with a door 12. The door 12 is disposed at the front portion of the vehicle body 13 and is able to open and close the side opening of the vehicle body 13. For example, the front end of the door 12 is connected to the vehicle body 13 in a rotatable manner and is configured to be able to rotate around the connection portion. In addition, the door 12 may also be a so-called sliding door.

[0024] The door lock portion 11 is configured to perform locking and unlocking of the door 12 by electrical control. The door lock portion 11 is disposed at the rear portion of the door 12. The door lock portion 11 includes a striker (not shown) mounted on a pillar of the vehicle body 13 and a latch portion (not shown) mounted on the rear end of the door 12. When the door lock portion 11 is in a locked state, the latch portion locks the striker, and the door 12 is in a locked state. When the door lock portion 11 is in an unlocked state, the latch portion does not lock the striker, and the passenger or a third person can open the door 12.

[0025] The opening and closing operation unit 14 is a part that is operated to open the door 12 when the passenger or the like is riding in the vehicle 10. As described later, the opening and closing operation unit 14 opens the door lock unit 11 when the passenger operates a touch-type or push-type mechanism. In addition, the opening and closing operation unit 14 closes the door lock unit 11 when the passenger operates the touch-type or push-type mechanism again.

[0026] The vehicle 10 of the present embodiment does not have a conventional outer door handle near the opening and closing operation unit 14. This can improve the design of the door 12 and the vehicle 10 and reduce air resistance when the vehicle is running.

[0027] The vehicle 10 includes a door unlocking device 20. The door unlocking device 20 is a device configured to release the door 12 locked by the door lock unit 11 in accordance with the state of the vehicle 10, for example, in an emergency such as when the power of the vehicle 10 is lost or a collision occurs. Figure 3A The door unlocking device 20 will be described later.

[0028] Figure 2A This is a perspective view of the door unlocking device 20 and its vicinity as viewed from the lower right side. Figure 2B This is a perspective view of the door unlocking device 20 and its vicinity as viewed from the upper right side.

[0029] Reference Figure 2A and Figure 2B The opening and closing operation portion 14 mainly includes a concave portion 15 and a locking operation portion 16. The opening and closing operation portion 14 is a portion that is manually operated by an occupant or the like when the door 12 is opened or closed.

[0030] The concave portion 15 is a portion formed by making the outer panel constituting the outer surface of the door 12 concave toward the left side, which is the inner side in the width direction. For example, the concave portion 15 is a concave area in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, the concave portion 15 is set to a shape and size such that the front end of the passenger's hand can be inserted.

[0031] The lock operation part 16 is, for example, a touch switch or a push switch. The switch part of the lock operation part 16 is exposed downward from the top surface of the concave part 15. When the occupant touches or pushes the lower surface of the lock operation part 16, an electrical signal is transmitted from the lock operation part 16 to the calculation control part 24 described later.

[0032] The door unlocking device 20 is a device configured to release the locking of the door 12 by the door locking unit 11 according to the state of the vehicle 10. Here, the state of the vehicle 10 is, for example, a state where a power source described later is lost or a state where a collision accident has occurred.

[0033] Specifically, the door unlocking device 20 mainly includes a release operation portion 21 and a module mechanism 22. Here, the release operation portion 21 and the module mechanism 22 are disposed on the rear side of the opening and closing operation portion 14.

[0034] The release operation unit 21 is provided at the door 12 and is a device that can be unlocked by manual operation. The release operation unit 21 is, for example, a key cylinder 211 that is rotated by a key (not shown). The key cylinder 211 is connected to the door 12 via a key. Figure 2B The lead 17 shown is Figure 1 The latch portion of the door lock portion 11 shown is mechanically connected. That is, the first end of the lead wire 17 is connected to the lock cylinder 211, and the second end of the lead wire 17 is connected to the latch portion of the aforementioned door lock portion 11. As described later, if the occupant, rescuer, etc. pulls the lock cylinder 211, the tensile force is transmitted to the latch portion of the door lock portion 11 via the lead wire 17, thereby releasing the lock of the latch portion and putting the door lock portion 11 into an unlocked state.

[0035] The module mechanism 22 is a device that allows the key cylinder 211 to be housed in the door 12 in a state where it can protrude to the outside of the door 12. Figure 3A The details of the module mechanism 22 will be described later.

[0036] Figure 3A It is a perspective view showing the door unlocking device 20 . Figure 3B It is an exploded perspective view showing the module main body 221 and the module mechanism 22 etc. in an exploded manner.

[0037] Reference Figure 3A The module mechanism 22 of the door unlocking device 20 includes a module body portion 221 and a spring 231 as a biasing portion 23 .

[0038] The module body 221 is, for example, a motor, and is configured to rotate the lock cylinder 211 in an emergency. Specifically, the module body 221, which is a motor, has a rotating shaft at the front end. A motor-side gear, not shown, is fixed to the rotating shaft. On the other hand, a lock cylinder-side gear, not shown, is provided at the rear of the lock cylinder 211. Moreover, the motor-side gear meshes with the lock cylinder-side gear. According to this structure, in an emergency, the lock cylinder 211 can be rotated by the module body 221, so that the module body 221 protrudes out of the vehicle. Refer to Figure 5A The operation of the module mechanism 22 in an emergency will be described later.

[0039] The spring 231 is, for example, a coil spring and is disposed in contact with the module body 221. The spring 231 is compressed in the front-rear direction in normal times and urges the lock cylinder 211 forward. As described later, the spring 231 has the function of pushing the lock cylinder 211 out of the vehicle in an emergency.

[0040] The locking portion 212 is a portion of the lock core 211, and is a portion obtained by making a portion of the front end of the lock core 211 protrude radially outward. Here, a portion of the front end of the lock core 211 protrudes toward the right. Figure 3A As shown, it abuts against the rear side surface of the concave portion 15 from the rear.

[0041] Reference Figure 3B The mounting hole 27 and the through hole 28 are formed on the rear side surface of the concave portion 15. The mounting hole 27 and the through hole 28 are continuous openings formed on the rear side surface of the concave portion 15.

[0042] The mounting hole 27 is a substantially circular opening and is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the front end of the key cylinder 211 .

[0043] The through hole 28 is an opening that is continuous with the mounting hole 27. Here, the through hole 28 is a substantially rectangular opening that is continuous upward from the upper end of the mounting hole 27. The size of the through hole 28 is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the aforementioned locking portion 212.

[0044] Figure 4 2 is a block diagram showing a connection structure of a vehicle 10 including a door unlocking device 20 .

[0045] The operation control unit 24 is composed of semiconductor elements such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The operation control unit 24 may also include a semiconductor storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory) as a storage unit. The storage unit stores programs, parameters, etc. The operation control unit 24 executes the functions and methods described below based on the programs, parameters, etc. read from the storage unit.

[0046] The collision detection unit 25 , the lock operation unit 16 , the door lock unit 11 , the airbag 26 , and the module main body 221 are connected to the terminal portion of the calculation control unit 24 .

[0047] The configuration of the lock operation unit 16 is as described above. The lock operation unit 16 transmits a signal indicating that the occupant has performed an operation to the calculation control unit 24 .

[0048] The collision detection unit 25 is, for example, an acceleration sensor or a pressure sensor, and transmits a signal indicating that a collision accident has occurred in the vehicle 10 to the calculation control unit 24 .

[0049] The structure of the door lock unit 11 is as described above. The door lock unit 11 is in the locked state or unlocked state based on the instruction of the calculation control unit 24 that receives the operation of the lock operation unit 16.

[0050] The airbag 26 is a bag-shaped device for cushioning provided near the occupant, for example, in front or on the side of the vehicle 10. When a collision occurs in the vehicle 10, the airbag 26 is deployed and inflated according to the instruction of the calculation control unit 24 based on the detection result of the collision detection unit 25.

[0051] like Figure 3A As shown, the module main body 221 is a device having a motor, which is used to drive the motor based on the instruction from the operation control unit 24. Figure 3A The lock cylinder 211 is shown rotated.

[0052] The normal operation of the door unlocking device 20 having the above structure will be described. Figure 2A The locking operation unit 16 of the opening and closing operation unit 14 shown in the figure is operated. In this way, based on the output of the locking operation unit 16, the calculation control unit 24 operates the actuator of the door locking unit 11, so that the door 12 changes from the locked state to the unlocked state. After that, the passenger puts his hand on the concave portion 15 to rotate the door 12 to the open state. Then, if the passenger gets on and drives the vehicle 10, the calculation control unit 24 operates the actuator of the door locking unit 11 to lock the door 12.

[0053] The door unlocking device 20 can manually change the door lock portion 11 from a locked state to an unlocked state in an emergency such as when the power of the vehicle 10 is lost or a collision accident occurs.

[0054] First, a method of unlocking the door lock portion 11 by the door unlocking device 20 based on an operation by an occupant outside the vehicle when the power supply of the vehicle 10 is cut off will be described.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 If the power supply is lost due to discharge of the battery mounted on the vehicle 10, the lock operation unit 16 and the door lock unit 11 are not supplied with power. Therefore, even if the occupant operates the lock operation unit 16 to open the door 12 from the outside, the door lock unit 11 does not operate, and the door lock unit 11 cannot be unlocked. In addition, as described above, since the door 12 does not have an outer door handle, the occupant cannot open the door 12 by operating the outer door handle.

[0056] In this embodiment, the key is operated by the passenger. Figure 2A The door lock 11 is unlocked by manually pressing the key cylinder 211 shown in the figure. Figure 2A The key hole 18 is shown inserted into the interior of the lock cylinder 211.

[0057] Then, refer to Figure 5A The occupant rotates the key cylinder 211 via a key (not shown). As a result, the key cylinder 211 rotates clockwise when viewed from the rear. The lock portion 212 also rotates clockwise together with the key cylinder 211.

[0058] Reference Figure 5B As a result, the positions of the locking portion 212 and the through hole 28 are aligned in the circumferential direction of the lock core 211, and the locking function of the locking portion 212 does not work. Therefore, the module body 221 is pushed into the recessed portion 15, that is, out of the vehicle, through the mounting hole 27 by the force of the spring 231. Next, the passenger pulls the module body 221 by hand, thereby locking the module body 221 through the lead wire 17. Figure 1 The latch of the door lock portion 11 shown applies a tensile force, so that the door lock portion 11 is unlocked. Thereafter, the passenger can open the door 12 and get on the vehicle 10. Figure 5A and Figure 5B Through the operation of the occupant or the work of the staff, the lock core 211 protruding to the outside is stored in the interior of the door 12 from the mounting hole 27, and the lock core 211 can be returned to its original state by rotating it in the opposite direction to the above.

[0059] Next, a method of unlocking the door lock portion 11 by the door unlocking device 20 based on an instruction from the calculation control unit 24 when a collision accident or the like occurs in the vehicle 10 will be described.

[0060] Reference Figure 4 When a collision accident occurs while the vehicle 10 is traveling, the collision detection unit 25 transmits information indicating that an impact greater than a predetermined value has acted on the vehicle 10 to the calculation control unit 24 .

[0061] The calculation control unit 24 inflates and deploys the airbag 26 to protect the occupant based on the information input from the collision detection unit 25. At the same time, the calculation control unit 24 transmits information for setting the door 12 to the unlocked state to the module main body 221.

[0062] Reference Figure 5A , based on the information input from the operation control unit 24, the rotation axis of the module body 221 serving as a motor rotates. As described above, the rotation axis of the module body 221 meshes with the lock core 211. Therefore, through the module body 221, the lock core 211 rotates clockwise when viewed from the rear. Through this rotation, if the positions of the locking portion 212 and the through hole 28 coincide with each other in the circumferential direction, the locking of the locking portion 212 is released, and the lock core 211 is pushed forward by the applied force of the spring 231. Therefore, as Figure 5B As shown, the lock core 211 protrudes into the concave portion 15 outside the vehicle. Afterwards, if a rescuer or the like outside the vehicle grasps the lock core 211 and pulls it forward, the lead wire 17 connected to the lock core 211 is connected to the lock core 211. Figure 1 The door lock unit 11 shown is in an unlocked state. When the door lock unit 11 is in an unlocked state, a rescuer or the like can open the door 12 and rescue the occupant in the vehicle 10 .

[0063] Here, when a collision accident occurs, the protruding action of the key cylinder 211 to the outside may not depend on the aforementioned spring 231. For example, the key cylinder 211 may also be configured to protrude forward by the impact energy during the collision.

[0064] The technical ideas that can be grasped from the above-described present embodiment will be described below together with the effects thereof.

[0065] The vehicle door unlocking device of one embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that it is configured to release the lock of the door by the door locking part according to the state of the vehicle, and comprises: a release operation part, which is arranged on the door, can be unlocked by manual operation, and is mechanically connected to the door locking part; and a module mechanism, which allows the release operation part to be stored in the door in a state that it can protrude to the outside of the door. According to the vehicle door unlocking device of the present invention, the release operation part can be protruded to the outside and pulled by the operation of the occupants according to the state of the vehicle, such as when a collision occurs or when the power is lost. In this way, the door locking part mechanically connected to the release operation part becomes unlocked, and the door can be opened. Therefore, in the event of a collision or when the power is lost, the door can be opened from the outside, and the occupants in the vehicle can be rescued smoothly.

[0066] In addition, in a vehicle door unlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is characterized in that the door locking portion is configured to perform the unlocking action of the door by electrical control. According to the vehicle door unlocking device of the present invention, in a vehicle that performs the unlocking action of the vehicle door by electrical control, there is sometimes no door handle on the outer surface of the door. Even in this case, in the event of a collision or power failure, since the release operation portion protrudes to the outside of the door, the vehicle door can be easily unlocked by pulling the release operation portion.

[0067] In addition, in a vehicle door unlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the release operation portion is a lock cylinder that is rotated. According to the vehicle door unlocking device of the present invention, when power is lost, for example, by inserting a key into the lock cylinder and rotating it, the lock cylinder can be protruded to the outside of the door. Thereafter, by manually pulling the lock cylinder, the door can be unlocked. By making the release operation portion a lock cylinder, the anti-theft performance can be improved.

[0068] In addition, in a vehicle door unlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is characterized in that the release operation portion is configured to protrude to the outside of the door when a collision accident of the vehicle occurs. According to the vehicle door unlocking device of the present invention, when a collision accident of the vehicle occurs, by making the release operation portion protrude to the outside of the door, the rescuer pulls the release operation portion, thereby enabling the door locking portion to be unlocked. Therefore, when a collision accident of the vehicle occurs, the door can be opened from outside the vehicle, and the occupant can be rescued smoothly.

[0069] In addition, in a vehicle door unlocking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is characterized in that the vehicle door unlocking device further comprises a force applying portion, and when the collision accident occurs, the force applying portion causes the release operating portion to protrude to the outside of the door. According to the vehicle door unlocking device of the present invention, when a collision accident occurs, the release operating portion can be caused to protrude to the outside by the force applying portion, for example, a spring.

[0070] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined with each other.

Claims

1. A vehicle door unlocking device, characterized in that: The door locking device is configured to be able to release the locking of the door by the door locking unit according to the state of the vehicle, and comprises: a release operation unit, which is disposed on the door, can be unlocked by manual operation, and is mechanically connected to the door locking unit; and A module mechanism is provided for storing the release operation portion in the door in a state where the release operation portion can protrude to the outside of the door.

2. The door unlocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The door lock unit is configured to perform an unlocking operation of the door through electrical control.

3. The door unlocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The release operation portion is a key cylinder that is rotated.

4. The door unlocking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The release operation portion is configured to protrude to the outside of the door when a collision accident of the vehicle occurs.

5. The door unlocking device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The door unlocking device further comprises a force applying portion. When the collision accident occurs, the biasing portion causes the release operation portion to protrude to the outside of the door.

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