Vehicle door latch device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle door latch device whose operational stability of an anti-panic structure is ensured and whose ease of assembly is improved.SOLUTION: A door latch device 1 includes a latch mechanism 2 that detachably engages a striker provided on a vehicle body; a lever link 18 that can be moved from an initial position to a release position where the engagement of the striker can be released by operating a door handle; a lever lock 17 that rotates the lever link 18 to an unlock position, where the engagement of the striker can be released when the lever link 18 is in the release position, or to a lock position, where the engagement of the striker cannot be released when the lever link 18 is in the release position; and an anti-panic spring 27 that urges the lever link 18 toward the unlock position. The lever link 18 is held between the anti-panic spring 27 and the lever lock 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a door latch device for an automobile.

Background Art

[0002] In an automobile door latch device, a keyless entry system using a remote control or a fob is known. In the keyless entry system, when an operation is performed to switch the door latch from the locked state to the unlocked state, it has been confirmed that the door latch cannot be switched to the unlocked state if there is a handle operation simultaneous with this operation or if the handle has already been pulled. In order to prevent this event, an anti-panic structure has been conventionally adopted in the door latch device.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, a slit is provided in a link that moves between a lock position and an unlock position by a lock plate. And an anti-panic structure is realized in which the arm portion of a spring assembled to the lock plate is directly connected to the slit of the link to bias the link to the unlock position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the anti-panic structure of Patent Document 1, since the link is urged to the unlock position by the arm of the spring passed through the slit of the link, it is necessary to set the slit to a width close to the arm diameter of the spring. Therefore, if the slit width becomes wide due to manufacturing variations, the link may rattle, the operation of the link may become unstable, and abnormal noise may occur during link operation or driving. In addition, at the time of assembly, since it is necessary to pass the arm of the spring through a narrow slit having a width close to the arm diameter, there is a problem in assemblability.

[0006] The present invention provides a vehicle door latch device that ensures the operating stability of the anti-panic structure and improves the assemblability.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention a latch mechanism for detachably locking a striker provided on a vehicle body; a lever link movable from an initial position to an unlock position where the striker can be unlocked by operating a door handle; a lever lock for rotationally moving the lever link to an unlock position where the striker can be unlocked when the lever link is in the unlock position and a lock position where the striker cannot be unlocked when the lever link is in the unlock position, and a vehicle door latch device comprising: further comprising a biasing member for biasing the lever link toward the unlock position; the lever link is held between the biasing member and the lever lock.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the operation of the anti-panic structure is stabilized and the assemblability is improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the automotive door latch device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the door latch device 1 is attached to the rear end portion inside the front door (hereinafter referred to as the door) of an automobile, and includes a latch mechanism 2 for holding the door in a closed state and an operation unit 3 assembled to the latch mechanism 2.

[0012] The latch mechanism 2 includes a body 4 made of synthetic resin, a metal cover plate 5 fixed to the inside of the door by a bolt (not shown) and closing an opening on the rear side (the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the body 4, a metal back plate 10 disposed on the front side of the body 4, a latch shaft 6 and a ratchet shaft 8 supported between the back plate 10 and the cover plate 5 so as to face in the front-rear direction, a latch 7 pivotally supported by the latch shaft 6 between the body 4 and the cover plate 5 and engageable with a striker (not shown) fixed to the vehicle body side when the door is closed, a ratchet 9 pivotally supported by the ratchet shaft 8 between the body 4 and the cover plate 5 and engageable with and disengageable from the latch 7, and a lever ratchet 11 pivotally supported coaxially with the ratchet 9 and rotatable integrally with the ratchet 9.

[0013] When the door is closed, the striker enters from the vehicle interior side into striker entry grooves 41 and 51 provided in the body 4 and the cover plate 5 and engages with the latch 7. The latch 7 rotates about the latch shaft 6 against the biasing force of a spring wound around the latch shaft 6, and the ratchet 9 engages with the latch 7 by the biasing force of a spring 12 supported below the ratchet 9, preventing the rotation of the latch 7 and holding the door in a closed state.

[0014] When the door is held in a closed state, when an outside handle OH provided on the outside of the door or an inside handle IH provided on the inside of the door is operated to open, and the lever ratchet 11 rotates in the open direction as described later, the ratchet 9 disengages from the latch 7, enabling the door to be opened.

[0015] The operation unit 3 includes a substantially L-shaped synthetic resin casing 13 in a plan view that is fixed to the front surface of the body 4, a synthetic resin cover 14 that closes an opening facing the vehicle interior side (the front side of the drawing in FIGS. 4 and 5) of the casing 13, a motor 15, a worm wheel 16, a lever lock 17, a lever link 18, an inside lever 19, a key link 20, and an internal key lever 21 disposed between the casing 13 and the cover 14, an outside lever 23 disposed between the casing 13 and the back plate 10, and an external key lever 24 disposed outside the casing 13. Note that FIGS. 2 and 3 omit the body 4 and the cover 14 in order to clearly show the internal structure of the latch mechanism 2 and the operation unit 3.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, the outside lever 23 is pivotally supported by a shaft portion 133 that protrudes rearward from the lower portion of the casing 13, and is connected to the outside handle OH via an operation force transmission member (not shown) that faces in the vertical direction at an outside connection portion 231 provided at the outside end of the vehicle. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the outside lever 23 is connected to the lower portion of the lever link 18 at the inside end portion 232, and based on the opening operation of the outside handle OH, against the biasing force of a spring disposed around the shaft portion 133, it rotates a predetermined angle in the open direction (the direction in which the inside end portion 232 moves upward) from the initial position (the position when the inside end portion 232 is in the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). Further, below the inside end portion 232 of the outside lever 23, an openable portion 233 is provided against which an open action portion 191 (described later) provided on the inside lever 19 can abut.

[0017] The inside lever 19 is pivotally supported by a shaft portion 134 that faces in the vehicle interior and exterior direction between the casing 13 and the cover 14, and an operation force transmission member 28 such as a cable that can transmit the operation force of the inside handle is connected to a lower connecting portion 192. The inside lever 19 rotates a predetermined angle in the open direction (clockwise in FIGS. 4 and 5) from the initial position (see FIGS. 4 and 5) based on the opening operation of the inside handle.

[0018] The inside lever 19 is provided with an opening action part 191 that can abut against the opened part 233 of the outside lever 23. Thus, when the inside lever 19 rotates in the opening direction from the initial position, the opening action part 191 abuts against the opened part 233 from below, and the outside lever 23 rotates in the opening direction from the initial position.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the external key lever 24 has a shaft part 241 facing the inside and outside of the vehicle pivotally supported by a cylindrical part 131 provided at the lowermost part of the casing 13. Further, the external key lever 24 has a lever part 242 connected to a key cylinder KC provided on the outside of the vehicle via a vertical rod (not shown). Thus, the external key lever 24 rotates a predetermined angle from the neutral position (not shown) in the locking direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 4 and 5) based on the locking operation of the key cylinder KC, and also rotates a predetermined angle from the neutral position in the unlocking direction (clockwise in FIGS. 4 and 5) based on the unlocking operation.

[0020] The internal key lever 21 integrally rotates with the external key lever 24 when a shaft part 211 facing the outside of the vehicle is connected to the shaft part 241 of the external key lever 24 by the cylindrical part 131 of the casing 13. An arc-shaped long hole 212 centered on the shaft part 211 is formed in the internal key lever 21.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the lever lock 17 has a shaft cylinder part 178 pivotally supported by a shaft part 132 facing the inside and outside of the vehicle between the casing 13 and the cover 14, and is rotatable between an unlocking position (see FIG. 4) and a locking position (see FIG. 5) rotated a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the unlocking position based on the operation of the key cylinder KC, the operation of a lock knob LK forming a locking and unlocking member provided on the inside of the vehicle, and the power of the motor 15, and is elastically held at the unlocking position and the locking position by the biasing force of a lever lock spring 26 supported by the casing 13. Note that the casing 13 is provided with stoppers (not shown) for stopping the lever lock 17 at the unlocking position and the locking position, respectively.

[0022] At a first connecting portion 171 provided at a portion of the lever lock 17 that extends obliquely downward and forward, an end portion of an operating force transmission member 25 formed by a cable or the like connected to the lock knob LK is connected in order to input the operating force of the lock knob LK. At a second connecting portion 172 near the first connecting portion 171 of the lever lock 17, the key link 20 is supported so as to extend obliquely downward and backward, and a protrusion 200 provided at the tip of the key link 20 is slidably engaged with a long hole 212 of the internal key lever 21.

[0023] The lever lock 17 is provided with an operating arm portion 173 that extends upward and a vertical wall portion 174 that protrudes from the rear side surface of the operating arm portion 173 toward the cover 14 side (inside the vehicle) and extends in the vertical direction so as to intersect the rotation direction of the lever lock 17. As will be described later, the vertical wall portion 174 engages with an engaging protrusion 181 of the lever link 18 and guides the lever link 18 to be slidable in the vertical direction along the vertical wall portion 174.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, when the lever lock 17 is in the unlocked position and the key cylinder KC is locked and the internal key lever 21 rotates counterclockwise (in the lock direction in FIG. 4) from the neutral position together with the external key lever 24, the upper end of the long hole 212 of the internal key lever 21 abuts against the upper surface of the protrusion 200 of the key link 20, whereby the lever lock 17 is pulled in the lock direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 4) by the key link 20 and moves to the locked position against the biasing force of the lever lock spring 26. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when the lever lock 17 is in the locked position and the key cylinder KC is unlocked and the internal key lever 21 rotates clockwise (in the unlock direction in FIG. 5) from the neutral position together with the external key lever 24, the lower end of the long hole 212 abuts against the lower surface of the protrusion 200 provided at the tip of the key link 20, whereby the lever lock 17 is pushed in the unlock direction (clockwise in FIG. 5) by the key link 20 and moves to the unlocked position against the biasing force of the lever lock spring 26.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 7, the lever lock spring 26 is a torsion spring disposed on the back surface of the lever lock 17 (the surface facing the casing 13), and includes a central coil portion 260 and a pair of leg portions 261 and 262 extending in the tangential direction from both ends of the coil portion 260. The coil portion 260 is loosely inserted through a pin-shaped spring support shaft 136 provided on the casing 13.

[0026] The tip ends of the leg portions 261 and 262 are abutted against the abutting pin 179 provided on the back surface of the lever lock 17 from both sides, and the abutting pin 179 is clamped by the spring elastic force. It is desirable that the axial directions of the shaft portion 132 which is the rotation axis of the lever lock 17, the spring support shaft 136, and the abutting pin 179 are parallel. When the shaft portion 132, the spring support shaft 136, and the abutting pin 179 are aligned in a straight line, the lever lock spring 26 is compressed to the maximum. This position becomes the spring dead point, and the lever lock 17 is elastically held on either the lock position or the unlock position side with the spring dead point as the boundary.

[0027] As shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 7, the spring support shaft 136 is inserted through the slot 170 of the lever lock 17, and the coil portion 260 of the lever lock spring 26 is loosely fitted. That is, the spring support shaft 136 of the casing 13 overlaps with the lever lock 17 in the axial direction, and the lever lock spring 26 is disposed between the lever lock 17 and the casing 13.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 8, a spring abutting rib 136a bulging in the radial direction is formed on the base end side of the spring support shaft 136, and the movement of the coil portion 260 of the lever lock spring 26 in the direction of the casing 13 is restricted by abutting against the spring abutting rib 136a. On the tip end side of the spring support shaft 136, an inclined surface 136b for guiding the lever lock spring 26 to the normal position and a spring locking portion 136c bulging in the radial direction from the uppermost part of the inclined surface 136b and restricting the movement of the lever lock spring 26 assembled in the normal position in the direction of the lever lock 17 are provided.

[0029] Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the tip of the leg portion 261 of the lever lock spring 26 is brought into contact with the contact pin 179 and locked to the retaining flange 179a formed on the contact pin 179. The retaining flange 179a protrudes radially from the tip of the contact pin 179, and restricts the movement of the casing 13 in the axial direction by engaging with the leg portion 261.

[0030] In this way, the coil portion 260 of the lever lock spring 26 is positioned by contacting the spring contact rib 136a on the casing 13 side and contacting the spring locking portion 136c on the tip side, and rattling due to vehicle vibration or the like is well suppressed.

[0031] Further, a pair of temporary holding portions 176a and 176b for holding the coil portion 260 of the lever lock spring 26 in a non-mounted state of the lever lock 17 are provided on the back surface of the lever lock 17. Therefore, in the non-mounted state of the lever lock 17, the coil portion 260 of the lever lock spring 26 is elastically held by the pair of temporary holding portions 176a and 176b, and one of the pair of leg portions 261 and 262, i.e., the leg portion 261, is locked to the retaining flange 179a, so that the lever lock spring 26 is temporarily held by the lever lock 17. The position of the temporarily held lever lock spring 26 is slightly shifted toward the temporary holding portions 176a and 176b from the normal position of the lever lock spring 26 when the lever lock 17 is mounted.

[0032] When the lever lock 17 with the lever lock spring 26 temporarily held is mounted, as shown in FIG. 8, when inserting the shaft cylinder portion 178 of the lever lock 17 into the shaft portion 132 of the casing 13, the spring support shaft 136 of the casing 13 is inserted into the slot 170, and the coil portion 260 of the lever lock spring 26 is assembled so as to be inserted into the spring support shaft 136. At this time, the coil portion 260 is guided by the inclined surface 136b of the spring support shaft 136 and moves from the temporary holding position held by the temporary holding portions 176a and 176b to contact the spring contact rib 136a and is assembled in the normal position. The lever lock spring 26 assembled in the normal position is retained by the spring locking portion 136c.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 2, the worm wheel 16 is pivotally supported by a shaft portion 135 facing the inside and outside of the vehicle between the casing 13 and the cover 14, and meshes with a worm 151 fixed to the rotating shaft of the motor 15, so that it rotates forward and backward by the power of the motor 15.

[0034] On one back surface of the worm wheel 16 (the surface facing the casing 13), an engaging projection (not shown) that can engage with the engaging recess 177 of the lever lock 17 is provided. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lever lock 17 can rotate smoothly with little play when the vicinity of the engaging recess 177 is sandwiched between the worm wheel 16 and the casing 13.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, when the lever lock 17 is in the unlock position, when the operation switch provided inside the vehicle or the portable operation switch is locked, the worm wheel 16 rotates in the lock direction (clockwise in Fig. 4) by the rotation of the motor 15. As a result, the lever lock 17 rotates in the lock direction (counterclockwise in Fig. 4) and moves to the lock position.

[0036] Also, as shown in Fig. 5, when the lever lock 17 is in the lock position, when the operation switch is unlocked, the worm wheel 16 rotates in the unlock direction (counterclockwise in Fig. 5) by the rotation of the motor 15. As a result, the lever lock 17 rotates in the unlock direction (clockwise in Fig. 5) and moves to the unlock position.

[0037] The lever link 18 is pressed toward a vertical wall portion 174 provided behind an operating arm portion 173 of the lever lock 17 by an anti-panic spring 27 at the front surface 184. Thus, the lever link 18 is held between the anti-panic spring 27 and the lever lock 17. A drum-shaped support hole 182 provided at the lower portion of the lever link 18 is swingably engaged and connected in the front-rear direction with an in-vehicle side end portion 232 of the outside lever 23, and an engagement protrusion 181 protruding toward the casing 13 side is slidably engaged in the vertical direction with the vertical wall portion 174 of the lever lock 17. Accordingly, the lever link 18 is driven to move to the unlock position and the lock position of the lever lock 17 and moves to the unlock position (see FIG. 4) and the lock position (see FIG. 5) about the in-vehicle side end portion 232, and also moves from the initial position upward to a release position located along the vertical wall portion 174 based on the rotation of the outside lever 23 in the open direction.

[0038] The lever link 18 and the anti-panic spring 27 are disposed on the surface on the cover 14 side (in-vehicle side) of the lever lock 17 and always overlap the lever lock 17 when viewed from the rotation axis direction (in-vehicle and outside direction) of the lever lock 17.

[0039] The anti-panic spring 27 is a torsion spring and includes, as shown in FIG. 6, a central coil portion 271 and a pair of leg portions 272, 273 extending in the tangential direction from both end portions of the coil portion 271. The shaft cylinder portion 178 of the lever lock 17 is loosely inserted through the coil portion 271, and one of the pair of leg portions 272, 273, i.e., the leg portion 272, is locked to a spring locking portion 175 of the lever lock 17, and the other leg portion 273 is disposed so as to always contact the front surface 184 of the lever link 18. Thus, the lever link 18 is always biased toward the vertical wall portion 174 by the anti-panic spring 27 at the unlock position and the lock position.

[0040] In this way, for the lever lock 17, the above-mentioned lever lock spring 26 is arranged on the back surface, and the anti-panic spring 27 is arranged on the front surface, preventing interference between the respective springs. Here, the biasing forces of the lever lock spring 26 and the anti-panic spring 27 on the lever lock 17 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the biasing forces of the lever lock spring 26 and the anti-panic spring 27 in the unlocked state.

[0041] The biasing force of the lever lock spring 26 acts forward as indicated by the arrow Y1 with respect to the virtual line L1 extending in the vertical direction through the center of the shaft portion 132, which is the rotation axis of the lever lock spring 26, by the contact pins 261 and 262 that contact the contact pin 179 provided on the back surface of the lever lock 17. On the other hand, as described above, since the anti-panic spring 27 presses the front surface 184 of the lever link 18 against the vertical wall portion 174 of the lever lock 17 by the leg portion 273, the biasing force of the anti-panic spring 27 acts backward as indicated by the arrow Y2 with respect to the virtual line L1. In this way, since the biasing force of the lever lock spring 26 acting on the lever lock 17 and the biasing force of the anti-panic spring 27 are in opposite directions, the lever lock 17 can operate smoothly and smoothly in balance.

[0042] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, at approximately the center rear portion in the vertical direction of the lever link 18, when the lever link 18 moves from the unlocked position to the released position, a release portion 183 is provided that can contact the released portion 111 of the lever ratchet 11 from below (in the rotation direction of the lever ratchet 11).

[0043] The release portion 183 of the lever link 18 is located directly below the released portion 111 as shown in FIG. 4 when the lever link 18 is in the unlocked position, and is located obliquely downward in front of the released portion 111 as shown in FIG. 5 when in the locked position.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, when the lever lock 17 and the lever link 18 are in the unlocked position and the outside lever 23 is in the initial position, if the outside lever 23 rotates in the open direction and the lever link 18 moves from the unlocked position to the release position, the release portion 183 abuts against the released portion 111 of the lever ratchet 11 from below. As a result, the lever ratchet 11 rotates in the open direction, the ratchet 9 disengages from the latch 7, and the door can be opened.

[0045] Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when the lever lock 17 and the lever link 18 are in the locked position, even if the lever link 18 moves in the open direction from the locked position based on the rotation of the outside lever 23 in the open direction, the release portion 183 moves across the front of the released portion 111 of the lever ratchet 11 and idles with respect to the released portion 111, and the lever ratchet 11 cannot be rotated in the open direction, so the door cannot be opened.

[0046] Next, the operation in the panic state will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In the following description, the unlocked state is defined as a state where both the lever lock 17 and the lever link 18 are in the unlocked position, and the locked state is defined as a state where both the lever lock 17 and the lever link 18 are in the locked position.

[0047] In the locked state shown in FIG. 5, when the outside lever 23 rotates in the open direction from the initial position and the inner side end portion 232 moves upward based on the opening operation of the outside handle OH or the inside handle IH, as shown in FIG. 10(A), the lever link 18 moves from the locked position in the open direction (see arrow A1 in FIG. 10(A)). At this time, the release portion 183 moves in front of the released portion 111 while remaining in the idling state without abutting against the released portion 111 of the lever ratchet 11. In this idling state, a slight gap g is formed between the rear surface 185 of the trailing edge of the release portion 183 in the lever link 18 and the front end portion of the released portion 111 in the lever ratchet 11.

[0048] When in the idling state shown in Fig. 10(A), if the operation switch is unlocked and an unlocking operation force is input from the worm wheel 16 that rotates by the power of the motor 15 to the lever lock 17 (see arrow A2 in Fig. 10(B)), the lever lock 17 rotates in the unlocking direction from the locked position against the biasing force of the lever lock spring 26 (see arrow A3 in Fig. 10(B)). Note that the same applies when the lock knob LK is unlocked instead of the operation switch and an unlocking operation force is input from the operation force transmission member 25 that operates by the unlocking operation of the lock knob LK to the lever lock 17.

[0049] Then, as shown in Fig. 10(B), the lever lock 17 rotates in the unlocking direction and reaches the unlocked position. At this time, due to the biasing force of the anti-panic spring 27, the lever link 18 rotates in the unlocking direction (see arrow A4 in Fig. 10(B)) by an angle corresponding to the gap g from the locked position. And before the lever link 18 reaches the unlocked position, as shown in Fig. 10(C), the rear surface 185 abuts against the front end of the released portion 111 of the lever ratchet 11 from a non-rotatable direction with respect to the lever ratchet 11. In this way, the movement of the lever link 18 in the unlocking direction is blocked, and a panic state in which the latch 7 cannot be released occurs.

[0050] In the state where the panic state has occurred, if the opening operation of the outside handle OH (or inside handle IH) is interrupted and released, the lever link 18 is pushed backward and rotates by the biasing force of the anti-panic spring 27 (arrow A5 in Fig. 10(C)). As the outside lever 23 returns to the initial position, the rear surface 185 of the lever link 18 disengages from the front end of the released portion 111 of the lever ratchet 11, and the lever link 18 moves downward from the released position to the initial position (arrow A6 in Fig. 10(C)).

[0051] And after being displaced to the unlocked state, the door can be opened again by operating the outside handle OH (or inside handle IH).

[0052] Even if such a panic state occurs, by interrupting the opening operation of the outside handle OH (or inside handle IH) and returning the outside lever 23 to the initial position, the urging force of the anti-panic spring 27 moves the lever link 18 to the unlock position, and the unlock state can be achieved smoothly and surely.

[0053] As described above, various embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that they also belong to the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention may be applied to a back door or a side door. Also, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention, the components in the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined.

[0054] At least the following matters are described in this specification. Although the corresponding components etc. in the above-described embodiments are shown in parentheses, it is not limited thereto.

[0055] (1) A latch mechanism (latch mechanism 2) that detachably locks a striker provided on a vehicle body, A lever link (lever link 18) that can be moved from an initial position to an unlock position where the striker can be unlocked by operating a door handle, A lever lock (lever lock 17) that rotationally moves the lever link to an unlock position where the striker can be unlocked when the lever link is in the unlock position and a lock position where the striker cannot be unlocked when the lever link is in the unlock position, and an automotive door latch device (door latch device 1) comprising: Further comprising a biasing member (anti-panic spring 27) that biases the lever link toward the unlock position, The lever link is held between the biasing member and the lever lock. Automobile door latch device.

[0056] (1) According to this, even if an unlocking operation is performed when the door handle is in the locked state and the unlocking operation is performed, since the biasing member biases the lever link toward the unlocking position, when the door handle is returned, the lever link returns from the release position to the initial position, and the lever link and the lever lock return to the unlocked state. With this anti-panic structure, the user can open the door by operating the door handles on the outside and inside of the vehicle without performing the unlocking operation again. In addition, the biasing member that biases the lever link toward the unlocking position may be arranged so as to hold the lever link between itself and the lever lock. Therefore, it is not necessary to pass the arm of the spring through a slit as in the conventional case, the operation is stabilized, and the assemblability is improved.

[0057] (2) The automobile door latch device according to (1), The lever lock has a vertical wall portion (vertical wall portion 174) extending so as to intersect the rotational direction. The lever link is clamped by being pressed against the vertical wall portion of the lever lock by the biasing member. The lever link moves between the initial position and the release position along the vertical wall portion by the handle operation. Automobile door latch device.

[0058] (2) According to this, since the lever link always contacts and operates on the vertical wall portion of the lever lock, the operating path is difficult to deviate, and the operation of the lever link is stabilized. In addition, since the lever link is always pressed against the vertical wall portion of the lever lock by the biasing member, it is possible to suppress the lever link from rattling and prevent the generation of abnormal noises during the operation of the lever link or during driving.

[0059] (3) The automobile door latch device according to (2), When viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the lever lock, at least a part of the lever link and the biasing member always overlap with the lever lock. Automobile door latch device.

[0060] (3) According to this, since at least a part of the lever link and the biasing member always overlap with the lever lock, interference with other components around the lever lock can be prevented.

[0061] (4) The automobile door latch device according to (3), The biasing member has a coil portion (coil portion 271) and a pair of leg portions (leg portions 272, 273) extending from the coil portion. The coil portion is Supported by the shaft portion (shaft cylinder portion 178) of the lever lock. One of the pair of leg portions (leg portion 272) is locked to the locking portion (spring locking portion 175) of the lever lock. The other leg portion (leg portion 273) of the pair of leg portions abuts against the lever link. Automobile door latch device.

[0062] (4) According to this, by supporting the biasing member on the shaft portion of the lever lock, interference with other components can be prevented, and the layout can be optimized and miniaturized.

[0063] (5) The automobile door latch device according to (4), The biasing member is assembled to one surface (front surface) of the lever lock. On the other surface (back surface) of the lever lock, a lever lock biasing member (lever lock spring 26) for biasing the lever lock so that the lever link is located at the unlock position is provided. Automobile door latch device.

[0064] (5) According to this, since the biasing member is provided on the opposite surface of the lever lock biasing member with the lever lock interposed therebetween, both can be arranged in close proximity, and the automobile door latch device can be miniaturized.

[0065] (6) The automotive door latch device according to (5), The lever lock biasing member has a coil portion (coil portion 260) and a pair of leg portions (leg portions 261, 262) extending from the coil portion. The lever lock biasing member, The coil portion is supported by a support shaft (spring support shaft 136) provided on a casing (casing 13) facing the other surface of the lever lock. The pair of leg portions sandwich a pin (contact pin 179) provided on the other surface of the lever lock. A slot (slot 170) through which the support shaft penetrates is provided in the lever lock. The support shaft coincides with the lever lock in the axial direction with respect to the lever lock. Automotive door latch device.

[0066] According to (6), the lever lock biasing member can be prevented from falling off by being sandwiched between the lever lock and the casing. Since the support shaft penetrates the slot of the lever lock, the width dimension in the vehicle width direction can be reduced.

[0067] (7) The automotive door latch device according to (6), When viewed from the rotational axis direction of the lever lock, The biasing force of the lever lock biasing member with respect to the lever lock is arranged to be directed toward one side (front) with respect to the shaft portion of the lever lock. The biasing force of the biasing member with respect to the lever lock is arranged to be directed toward the other side (rear) with respect to the shaft portion of the lever lock. Automotive door latch device.

[0068] According to (7), since the biasing force by the biasing member acting on the lever lock and the biasing force by the lever lock biasing member are in opposite directions, the lever lock can operate smoothly and in a well - balanced manner.

[0069] (8) The automotive door latch device according to (6), wherein the lever lock has holding portions (temporary holding portions 176a, 176b) for temporarily holding the lever lock biasing member, in the temporarily held state, the coil portion is located at a position deviated from the normal position, and after assembly, it is supported by the support shaft provided in the casing at the normal position, Automotive door latch device.

[0070] According to (8), the lever lock and the lever lock biasing member can be assembled in an integrated state, improving the assemblability.

Description of reference numerals

[0071] 1 Door latch device (Automotive door latch device) 2 Latch mechanism 13 Casing 17 Lever lock 18 Lever link 26 Lever lock spring (Lever lock biasing member) 27 Anti-panic spring (Biasing member) 136 Spring support shaft (Support shaft) 170 Slot 174 Vertical wall portion 175 Spring locking portion (Locking portion) 178 Shaft cylinder portion (Shaft portion) 179 Contact pin (Pin) 260 Coil portion 271 Coil portion 272 Leg portion 273 Leg portion

Claims

1. A latch mechanism for releasably locking a striker provided on a vehicle body, A lever link movable from an initial position to a release position where the locking of the striker can be released by operating a door handle, A lever lock for rotationally moving the lever link to an unlock position where the striker can be unlocked when the lever link is in the release position and a lock position where the striker cannot be unlocked when the lever link is in the release position. An automotive door latch device comprising: Further comprising a biasing member for biasing the lever link toward the unlock position, The lever link is held between the biasing member and the lever lock, An automotive door latch device.

2. The automotive door latch device according to claim 1, The lever lock has a vertical wall portion extending so as to intersect the rotational direction, The lever link is sandwiched by being pressed against the vertical wall portion of the lever lock by the biasing member, The lever link moves between the initial position and the release position along the vertical wall portion by the handle operation, An automotive door latch device.

3. The automotive door latch device according to claim 2, When viewed from the axial direction of the rotation axis of the lever lock, at least a part of the lever link and the biasing member always overlap with the lever lock, An automotive door latch device.

4. The automotive door latch device according to claim 3, The biasing member has a coil portion and a pair of leg portions extending from the coil portion, The coil portion, Is supported by a shaft portion of the lever lock, One of the pair of legs is locked to the locking portion of the lever lock, The other leg of the pair of legs abuts against the lever link, Automobile door latch device.

5. The automobile door latch device according to claim 4, The biasing member is assembled to one surface of the lever lock, On the other surface of the lever lock, a lever lock biasing member is provided to bias the lever lock so that the lever link is located at the unlock position. Automobile door latch device.

6. The automobile door latch device according to claim 5, The lever lock biasing member has a coil portion and a pair of legs extending from the coil portion, The lever lock biasing member, The coil portion is supported by a support shaft provided on a casing facing the other surface of the lever lock, The pair of legs sandwich a pin provided on the other surface of the lever lock, A slot through which the support shaft penetrates is provided in the lever lock, The support shaft coincides with the lever lock in the axial direction, Automobile door latch device.

7. The automobile door latch device according to claim 6, When viewed from the rotational axis direction of the lever lock, The biasing force of the lever lock biasing member against the lever lock is arranged to act on one side with respect to the shaft portion of the lever lock, The biasing force of the biasing member against the lever lock is arranged to act on the other side with respect to the shaft portion of the lever lock. Automobile door latch device.

8. The automotive door latch device according to claim 6, wherein the lever lock has a holding portion for temporarily holding the lever lock biasing member, in the temporarily held state, the coil portion is located at a position deviated from the normal position and, after assembly, is supported by the support shaft provided in the casing at the normal position, an automotive door latch device.

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