Door locking device for a commercial vehicle

Abstract

A door locking device for a commercial vehicle with a pivoting driver's cab, the door locking device comprising: a lever operating part (11) that locks and unlocks a door while being rotated by the operation of a force applying part (10); a locking lever (12) which is mounted coaxially with the lever operating part (11), is rotatable and releases the connection between the lever operating part (11) and the force applying part (10) by contact with the lever operating part (11); a weight (13) coupled to one side of the locking lever (12) and rotating the locking lever (12) using its own weight or a corresponding weight force when the cab is pivoted, wherein a locking relationship between the force application part (10) and the lever operating part (11) is terminated by the weight (13) and the locking lever (12) in the pivoted state of the driver's cab, so that the opening of the door is prevented, characterized in that the force applying member (10) is configured to be inserted into an opening formed in the lever operating member (11) through one end of the force applying member (10) and to be connected to the lever operating member (11) to lock together with the lever operating member (11), and to be supported by a lever operating member clip and a force applying member spring which are movable along a displacement groove of the lever operating member (11).

Description

Background of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a door locking device or door locking device (in short: door locking device) for a commercial vehicle, in particular a truck, and in particular to a device which, by automatically closing the door, is able to prevent a door from being damaged and a user from being injured when the driver's cab or driver's cab (in short: driver's cab) of a commercial vehicle or truck (hereinafter truck) is pivoted. Description of associated technology

[0002] Generally, in a cab swing structure for a truck, a chassis and a cab are connected together, vibrations transmitted from the chassis during travel are absorbed to control the movement of the cab so as to determine ride comfort or to produce high ride comfort, and when service is performed, the cab is swung.

[0003] For example, in medium-sized or larger trucks, major vehicle components, such as an engine or transmission, are located at the bottom of the cab. Therefore, the cab pivots forward of the vehicle due to the actuation of a hydraulic cylinder when servicing is performed.

[0004] In medium and larger trucks, the cab is supported by four air springs to improve ride comfort. Therefore, damping activity is always applied to the cab during travel, due to vertical movement of the springs.

[0005] A door for medium or large-sized trucks is designed such that a lever operating part is moved up and down due to an operating force of a latch actuator and a force applying part, and locking / unlocking operations can be performed. As shown in Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B, for example, locking / unlocking of a door is performed when a lever operating part 110 is moved up and down due to an operating force of a latch actuator and a force applying part 100.

[0006] This means that an unlocked state of the door is given when the lever operating part 110 moves up or has moved up, and a closed state of the door is given when the lever operating part 110 moves down or has moved down.

[0007] However, current vehicles are not equipped with an additional safety device that prevents the door from being opened after the cab has been pivoted. Therefore, there is a high risk of damage to the cab due to a "free fall" of the door and injury to a user if the door is opened after the cab has been pivoted due to the user's carelessness.

[0008] This means that since the door can be opened in a pivoted state of the cab, there is a high risk that the door will fall freely due to its own weight if the door is opened after the cab has pivoted, and that the cab will be damaged and the user will be injured due to his carelessness.

[0009] In view of the foregoing, Japanese Patent Application JP 2003-320851 A, Korean Patent Application KR 10 2003 0 050270 A, and Japanese Patent Application JP H10-30371 A disclose safety devices related to locking / unlocking a door. However, no safety device related to a tilted cab has been proposed.

[0010] From US 6 042 159 A a door locking device for a commercial vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 is known. Brief description of the invention

[0011] The present invention has for its object to provide a door locking device for a commercial vehicle, in particular a truck (lorry), which has a novel structure in which, in a pivoted state of a driver's cab, a locked state of a door can be forcibly maintained by a linked operation between a weight and a lever operating part or touch lever or lever switch or toggle switch or key lever (in short: lever operating part) when a driver's cab is pivoted, so that a locked state of the door cannot be released or released when the driver's cab is pivoted, the driver's cab can be prevented from being damaged due to opening of the door, and the user can be prevented from being injured.

[0012] This object is achieved by a door locking device for a commercial vehicle according to claim 1. Further developments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0013] According to the present invention, there is provided a door locking device for a truck, the door locking device comprising: a lever operating part that locks / unlocks a door while being rotated by the operation of a force applying part; a locking lever that is supported by or in a coaxial structure with the lever operating part, is rotatable, and relieves the connection between the lever operating part and the force applying part through contact with the force applying part.and a weight coupled to one side of the locking lever and rotating the locking lever using its own weight when a cab is pivoted, wherein the force applying member is configured to be inserted with one end of the force applying member into an opening provided in the lever operating member and to be combined or connected with the lever operating member to lock with the lever operating member and to be supported by a force applying clip and a force applying spring movable along a displacement groove of the lever operating member.

[0014] The locking relationship or interlocking relationship or closure relationship (in short: locking relationship) between the force application part and the lever operating part can be terminated by the weight and the locking lever in the pivoted state of the driver's cab, so that opening of the door can be prevented.

[0015] A stopper capable of hanging in the locking lever in a state where the locking lever and the force applying part contact each other may be provided on the back of the lever operating part, so that the locking lever and the lever operating part rotate together in a state where the connection between the lever operating part and the force applying part is released and the lever operating part is positioned in a locked state.

[0016] The stop provided on the lever operating part can be of the type of a pocket that receives a part of the locking lever. The door locking device can further comprise a return spring that is arranged, in particular axially, between, in particular axial, parts of the lever operating part and the locking lever, is supported at one end on the lever operating part, is supported at its other end on the driver's cab, and resets or moves back the lever operating part when the driver's cab is pivoted downwards, as well as a lever guide part, one side of which is connected to a part in which the weight is coupled to the locking lever via a slot and the other side of which is coupled to a latch assembly in a bolt structure and guides a rotational trajectory of the locking lever while rotating together when the locking lever rotates.

[0017] The apparatus of the present invention has further features and advantages which will be apparent from and set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings incorporated herein and the following description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. Short description of the characters Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary door locking device according to the present invention; Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are perspective views illustrating a state in which a door locking device shown in Fig. 1 is installed; Fig. 3A, Fig. 3B and Fig. 3C are views showing an operating state of a door locking device according to Fig. 1 show; Fig. 4A, Fig. 4B, Fig. 4C and Fig. 4D are further views showing an operating state of the door locking device according to Fig. 1 show; Fig. 5A, Fig. 5B and Fig. 5C are further views showing an operating state of the door locking device according to Fig. 1 show; Fig. 6A, Fig. 6B and Fig. 6C are even further views showing an operating state of the door locking device according to Fig. 1 show; Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B are perspective views of a door locking device according to the related art. Detailed description

[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are shown in the accompanying figures and described below. While the invention will be described in connection with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents, and other embodiments included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the claims.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a door locking device according to various embodiments of the present invention, and Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are perspective views showing a state in which the door locking device shown in Fig. 1 is installed.

[0020] As in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B, the door locking device is configured to automatically close or lock a door using a connection of a weight, a lever operating member, and a locking lever that are locked together when a cab is pivoted, and it will prevent the door from being opened.

[0021] A lever operating part 11 is provided to perform a latch assembly that locks / unlocks the door, e.g., performs a door locking / unlocking operation while being rotated by the operation of a force applying part 10 extending from a key set or lock device (key set for short) of the outside handle of the door.

[0022] When the lever operating part 11 is rotated counterclockwise in the figures due to the force applying part 16, the latch assembly is in an unlocked state. In contrast, when the lever operating part 11 is rotated clockwise in the figures due to the force applying part 10, the latch assembly is in a locked state.

[0023] An operation in which the latch assembly is converted into a locked or unlocked state in conjunction with the rotation of the force applying part 11 is the same as that in the prior art. Therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[0024] The lever operating part 11 includes an integrated eye part 11b or 11a serving as a rotation center body, and a lever part 11a or 11b connected to the force application part 10. The lever operating part 11 is attached to a shaft installed on one side of the latch assembly cover 22 via the eye part 11a and can rotate about the shaft.

[0025] In the lever part 11b of the lever operating part 11, an opening 16 is formed through which the lever part 11a of the lever operating part 11 is connected to the force applying part 10, a displacement groove 17 is formed to form an arcuate movement path around the vicinity of the opening 16 or the boundary of the opening 16.

[0026] A vicinity of the opening 16, that is, a vicinity of the opening 16 on the bottom surface of the displacement groove 17, includes an inclined surface 23, a diameter of which increases as it moves from the center of the opening 16 closer to the outside thereof. The force application part 10 is inserted along the inclined surface 23 so that the connection with the key cover or the lever operating part 11 can be relieved.

[0027] A force applying member clip 18, which will be described below, may be slidably coupled to the displacement groove 17 formed in the lever part 11a of the lever operating member 11.

[0028] A stop (see reference numeral 14 in Fig. 3C), which can hang in or on a lock lever 12, or be connected to, arranged on, or in contact with (in short: hang), and which will be described below, is formed on the back of the lever part 11a of the lever operating part 11. The lock lever 12 hangs on the stopper 14 in a state where the lock lever 12 and the force applying part 10 contact each other, that is, in a state where the lock lever 12 presses the force applying part 10. Therefore, in this case, the force applying part 10 is not connected to the lever operating part 11, and therefore, they do not move together when the lever operating part 11 is rotated with the rotation of the lock lever 12.

[0029] The stopper 14 formed on the lever operating part 11 has a pocket-like open upper portion. The stopper 14 is configured to receive a portion of the locking lever 12 such that the locking lever 12 and the lever operating part 11 can stably hang in the stopper 14, and the locking lever 12 can stably hang in the stopper 14. Specifically, the locking lever 12 is provided to be coaxially supported with the lever operating part 11 and to be rotatable, and to simultaneously release the connected state of the lever operating part 11 and the force applying part 10 through contact with the force applying part 10.

[0030] The locking lever 11 includes two lever pieces approximately in a "V" shape. The locking lever 12 is installed on the eye portion 11b of the lever operating portion 11 through an opening formed in a central portion (a V-shaped apex portion) where two lever pieces meet, allowing the locking lever 12 to rotate.

[0031] A jaw hole 26 is formed at one end of one lever piece of the locking lever 12 so that the weight 13 described below can be coupled through the hole 26. A projection portion 28 is formed on one side of one end of the other lever piece of the lever operating portion 12 so that the projection portion 28 can be received in and suspended from the stopper 14 formed on the lever operating portion 11.

[0032] Specifically, one of the two lever pieces of the lock lever 12, that is, a lever piece in which the projection portion 28 is formed, has a shape in which a central part of the length of the lever piece is bent. Therefore, in this case, the lever piece closely contacts a back surface of the lever piece 11a of the lever operating portion 11.

[0033] The weight is essentially provided as a unit for rotating the locking lever 12. The weight 13 is coupled to one end of the locking lever 12 in one case to rotate the locking lever 12 using its own weight when the cab is pivoted.

[0034] This means that the weight 13 includes two disc-shaped masses and a pin part 25 connecting the centers of the two disc-shaped masses. The weight 13 is designed such that it is inserted through the pin part 25 into the through-hole 26 formed by one lever piece of the locking lever 12 and can be coupled to the locking lever 12.

[0035] Therefore, in this case, the weight 13 is tilted in the same direction when the driver's cab is tilted in one direction. The locking lever 12 can therefore be tilted in this way by means of the weight of the weight 13.

[0036] In addition, a return spring 15 is provided as a unit for returning the lever operating part 11 to its original position when the cab is pivoted downward (returned).

[0037] The return spring 15 is installed wound around the eye portion 11b of the lever operating member 11. One end of the return spring 15 installed in this manner hangs in and is supported by one side of the lever operating member 11, and simultaneously, the other end of the return spring 15 is fixed to one side of the cab, that is, to one side of the latch assembly cover 22.

[0038] Therefore, due to an elastic force of the return spring 15, a force for rotating in the unlocking direction, i.e., counterclockwise, is always applied to the lever operating member 11. As a result, the lever operating member 11 can be returned to its original position in a state where a force for pushing down due to the weight 13 and the lock lever 12 is removed from the lever operating member 11. In this returning state, the force applying member 10 is inserted into the opening 16 of the lever operating member 11 such that the force applying member 10 can be connected to the lever operating member 11. The force applying member 10 is configured to be connected by the force applying member clip or key load clip (in short: force applying member clip) 18 and a force applying member spring ora key load spring (short: force application part spring) 19 is supported and is connected to the lever actuating part 11.

[0039] The rectangular case-shaped force applying member clip 18 having wing parts 24 and the force applying member spring 19 arranged in the force applying member clip 18 and elastically supporting the force applying member 10 are provided at a lower end of the force applying member 10.

[0040] The force application member clip 18 is configured to receive one end of the force application member 10 in the force application member clip 18 and is inserted into the displacement groove 17 formed in the lever part 11a of the lever operating part 11 using the wing parts 24. The force application member spring 19 serves to urge the end of the force application member 10 toward a front side of the lever operating part 11 in the force application member clip 18.

[0041] Therefore, the force applying member 10 is inserted into the opening 16 of the lever operating member 11 due to a force of the force applying member spring 19, is held in a connected state with the lever operating member 11, and is locked with the lever operating member 11.

[0042] When the connection state with the lever operating part 11 is released by means of the locking lever 12, the force applying part 10 is movable along the displacement groove 17 together with the force applying part clip 18 when the lever operating part 11 rotates.

[0043] A lever guide part 21 is provided as a unit for guiding a rotational movement path of the locking lever 12.

[0044] The lever guide part 21 has the shape of a bar or rod (short: rod) which has a slot 20 at one end thereof and a guide pin (see reference numeral 27 in Fig. 3C) at the other end of it.

[0045] The lever guide member 21 is designed to be supported on one side of the latch assembly, that is, on the latch assembly cover 22 using the guide pin 27 at the other end thereof, to be installed to be rotatable around the guide pin 27, and to be inserted into the through hole 27 of the locking lever into which the pin member 25 of the weight 13 is inserted, using the slot 20 at one end thereof.

[0046] Therefore, the locking lever 12 can be moved along the circular movement path without leaving it, since the locking lever 12 and the weight 13 are connected to the slot 20 of the lever guide part 21, which are rotated together about the guide pin 27 on the latch assembly when the locking lever 12 is rotated.

[0047] Therefore, an operating state of the door locking device of the truck having the above structure will now be described.

[0048] The Fig. 3A to 6C are perspective views of an operating state of the door locking device according to Fig. 1.

[0049] As in the Fig. 3A to 3C, in a state where the cab swing is not performed (before the cab is swung), the force applying member 10 is held in a state where the force applying member 10 is inserted into the opening 16 of the lever operating member 11 and connected to the lever operating member 11. The lock lever 12 in this case is held to be spaced apart by a predetermined angle due to the weight 13 from the lever operating member 11.

[0050] In this case, when the user operates a key, the lever operating part 11 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise due to the movement of the force applying part 10. As a result, the latch assembly is locked or unlocked, allowing the door to be opened or closed.

[0051] As in the Fig. 4A to 4D, the weight 13 is inclined in a direction in which the cab is inclined, while the pivoting of the cab is performed when the cab is inclined, the lock lever 12 is rotated by the dead weight of the weight 13, and the lock lever 12 rotated in this way contacts a back side of the lever operating part 11 and is rotated such that one end of the force applying part 10 inserted into the opening of the lever operating part 11 is pressed toward the front side of the lever operating part 11.

[0052] In this way, the connecting structure or connecting structure (short: connecting structure) with the lever operating part 11 is relaxed, a locking structure between the lever operating part 11 and the force application part 10 is relaxed, and the projection part 28 of the locking lever 12 is placed in the stop 14 of the lever operating part 11 and suspended there when the end of the force application part 10 escapes from the opening 16.

[0053] As in the Fig. 5A to 5C, when the swinging of the cab is completed, when the cab is fully tilted, due to the dead weight of the weight 13, the lock lever 12 and the lever operating member 11 hanging in the stopper 14 are rotated clockwise (locking direction), and since the lever operating member 11 is rotated, the control assembly is in a locked state and the door is not opened.

[0054] In this case, even if the user moves the force application part 10 by operating the key, the force application part moves along the displacement groove 17 of the lever operation part 11 and performs a useless or unsuccessful operation because the connecting structure with the lever operation part 11 is released. Therefore, the locked state of the door (latch assembly locked state) can be securely maintained. This means that in the pivoted state of the cab, the door unlocking cannot be performed outside the vehicle.

[0055] As in the Fig.6A to 6C, in a downwardly pivoted state of the cab, when the cab has returned to its original state, the weight 13 and the locking lever 12 are rotated counterclockwise and returned to their original positions, the lever operating part 10 is rotated counterclockwise (unlocking direction) in this state due to the restoring force of the compressed return spring 15, and the lever operating part 10 is reinserted into the opening 16 of the lever operating part 10, so that a connecting structure with the lever operating part 11 can be formed.

[0056] Therefore, the connection state between the force applying part 10 and the lever operating part 11 is recovered, the lever operating part 11 can be rotated due to an operation of the force applying part 10 by the user's key operation, and the door can be locked and unlocked by the rotation of the lever operating part 11.

[0057] In this way, according to various embodiments of the invention, damage to the vehicle caused by opening the door and injury to the user can be avoided because, in the pivoted state of the cab, locking of the door due to operation of a weight and a locking lever cannot be performed, and the door can be opened / closed normally because, in the downward pivoted state of the cab, locking or unlocking of the door can be effected by operation of a key by releasing the lock between the lever operating part and the locking lever.

[0058] As described above, in a door locking device for a truck according to various embodiments of the present invention, by using a combination of a weight and a lever operating member operated in conjunction with the swing operation of the cab and the locking lever, a locked state can be automatically forcibly maintained when the cab of the truck is swung so that opening of the door in the swung state of the cab can be prevented, damage to the cab of the truck or the door can be prevented, and injury to a user can be prevented.

[0059] For the purposes of explanation and precise definitions in the appended claims, the terms "upper" or "lower", "front" and "rear", etc., have been used to identify features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of those features as shown in the figures.

[0060] The foregoing descriptions of specific, exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are not possible within the scope of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments have been used and described to illustrate certain principles of the invention as they relate to practical application, and thereby to enable those skilled in the art to make and use various embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be determined by the appended claims. Reference symbol 10 Force application part 11 Lever operating part 11a Eye part 11b Lever part 12 locking levers 13 Weight 14 stop 15 Return spring 16 Opening 17 Displacement groove 18 Force application part clip 19 Force application part spring 21 Lever guide part 22 Latch assembly cover. 23 inclined surface 24 Wing part 25 tenon part 26 passage opening 27 Guide pin, guide pin 28 projection part

Claims

[1] A door locking device for a commercial vehicle with a pivoting driver's cab, the door locking device comprising: a lever operating part (11) that locks and unlocks a door while being rotated by the operation of a force applying part (10); a locking lever (12) which is mounted coaxially with the lever operating part (11), is rotatable and releases the connection between the lever operating part (11) and the force applying part (10) by contact with the lever operating part (11); a weight (13) coupled to one side of the locking lever (12) and rotating the locking lever (12) using its own weight or a corresponding weight force when the cab is pivoted, wherein a locking relationship between the force application part (10) and the lever operating part (11) is terminated by the weight (13) and the locking lever (12) in the pivoted state of the driver's cab, so that the opening of the door is prevented, characterized by , that the force applying member (10) is configured to be inserted into an opening formed in the lever operating member (11) through one end of the force applying member (10) and to be connected to the lever operating member (11) to lock together with the lever operating member (11), and to be supported by a lever operating member clip and a force applying member spring which are movable along a displacement groove of the lever operating member (11). [2] The door locking device according to claim 1, wherein a stopper (14) is provided on a back side of the lever operating part (11) and is capable of hanging in the locking lever (12) in a state where the lever operating part (11) and the force applying part (10) contact each other, so that the locking lever (12) and the lever operating part (11) rotate together in a state where a connection between the lever operating part (11) and the force applying part (10) is released and the lever operating part (11) is positioned in a locked state. [3] The door locking device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a stopper (14) provided on the lever operating part (11) is a pocket which receives a part of the locking lever (12). [4] The door locking device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the door locking device further comprises a return spring (15) interposed between axial parts of the lever operating part (11) and the locking lever (12), having one end supported on the lever operating part (11) and another end supported on the driver's cab and returning the lever operating part (11) when the driver's cab is pivoted downward. [5] The door locking device according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a lever guide part, one side of which is connected to a part in which the weight (13) is coupled to the lever operating part (11) through a slot, the other side of which is coupled to a control assembly in a pin structure, and which guides a circular movement path of the locking lever (12) in the joint rotation when the locking lever (12) rotates.

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