Door lock device
The door lock device integrates a latch, pawl, closing member, and icebreaker to reduce complexity and actuator load, addressing the complexity and cost issues of conventional designs while ensuring the door can be opened when frozen.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024110275
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-22
AI Technical Summary
Conventional door lock devices with ice-breaking mechanisms have a complex structure due to multiple parts, leading to increased costs and high load on the actuator to overcome the biasing force of the reset spring.
A door lock device connected to a door closer via a tension member, incorporating a latch, pawl, closing member, icebreaker, and cancel member, which reduces the number of parts and minimizes the load on the actuator by integrating the icebreaker with the closing member, allowing the latch to move to the fully latched position without activating the icebreaker when not frozen.
Reduces the number of parts and the load on the actuator, preventing cost increases while maintaining the ice-breaking function, allowing the door to open even when frozen.
Smart Images

Figure 2026010418000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a door lock device that is connected to a door closer via a tension member, holds a vehicle door closed, and allows the door to be opened. [Background technology]
[0002] Conventionally, a door lock device has been known that includes a latch mechanism including a latch and a pawl, and an icebreaking mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The icebreaking mechanism of this door lock device includes a tension wheel connected to an actuator (door closer) via a cable; an icebreaking swing arm rotatably supported by a bracket via a shaft and engageable with the tension wheel; an icebreaking tie rod connected to the icebreaking swing arm via a connecting shaft and engageable with the latch; and a reset spring that biases the icebreaking swing arm and the icebreaking tie rod in directions away from each other. When the actuator pulls the cable and rotates the tension wheel, the icebreaking swing arm and the icebreaking tie rod each rotate against the biasing force of the reset spring in response to the rotation of the tension wheel, and the icebreaking tie rod rotates the latch in the unlatching direction. This allows the ice to be broken so that the door can be opened, even if the door (the gap between the edge of the door and the vehicle body (weather trip)) is frozen in the fully closed position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] China Utility Model Patent No. 214786723 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] The icebreaker mechanism of the conventional door lock device includes an icebreaker swing arm and an icebreaker tie rod connected via a connecting shaft, resulting in a relatively complex structure. This increases the number of parts in the door lock device, making it difficult to prevent costs from increasing. However, with the door lock device described above, when the door is not frozen, the actuator can pull a cable to move the latch to the fully latched position using the icebreaker swing arm and the icebreaker tie rod. However, in order to rotate the icebreaker swing arm and the icebreaker tie rod by pulling the cable, the actuator must output a force that overcomes the biasing force of the reset spring, which increases the load on the actuator.
[0005] Therefore, the main object of the present disclosure is to reduce the number of parts in a door lock device with ice-crushing function to suppress cost increases, while reducing the load on the door closer that pulls the tension member to move the latch to the fully latched position. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The door lock device of the present disclosure is connected to a door closer via a tension member, and holds a vehicle door in a closed state while allowing the door to be opened, a housing; a latch rotatably supported by the housing and movable between a full latched position where the door is held in a fully closed position, a half latched position where the door is held so as not to move from the half closed position to an open position, and an unlatched position where the door is allowed to open; a pawl disposed within the housing and movable between a restricting position where the latch is engaged with the latch to hold the latch in the full latched position and a non-restricting position where the latch is allowed to move from the full latched position to the unlatched position; and a pawl rotatably supported by the housing and connected to the tension member, which, when the latch is in the half latched position and the tension member is pulled by the door closer, moves the latch from the half latched position to the full latched position. a closing member that moves to a non-operating position, wherein the closing member is stationary relative to the housing and allows rotation of the closing member, and an operating position where the closing member engages with the closing member; an icebreaker that is in the operating position and that moves integrally with the closing member to press the latch so as to move from the fully latched position to the unlatched position when the pulling member is pulled by the door closer; and a cancel member that is movable between a retraction allowance position and a retraction cancel position, and that holds the icebreaker in the non-operating position when in the retraction allowance position, and that moves from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position to move the icebreaker from the non-operating position to the operating position.
[0007] The door lock device disclosed herein is connected to a door closer via a tension member, holds a vehicle door closed, and allows the door to be opened. The door lock device includes a latch, a pawl, a closing member, an icebreaker, and a cancel member. When the latch is in a half-latched position and the tension member is pulled by the door closer, the closing member moves the latch from the half-latched position to the fully latched position. The icebreaker is movable between an inoperative position, where it is stationary relative to the housing and allows the closing member to rotate, and an operative position, where it engages with the closing member. When the icebreaker is in the operative position and the tension member is pulled by the door closer, the icebreaker moves integrally with the closing member and presses the latch to move from the fully latched position to the unlatched position. The cancel member holds the icebreaker in the inoperative position when in the retraction-permitting position, and moves from the retraction-permitting position to the retraction-cancelling position, moving the icebreaker from the inoperative position to the operative position. As a result, when the vehicle door is frozen with the latch in the fully latched position, the cancel member can be moved from the retraction-permitting position to the retraction-cancelling position, and the door closer can pull the tension member, thereby breaking the ice with the icebreaker pressing the latch and allowing the door to open. Furthermore, because the icebreaker is a single member that operates in conjunction with the closing member and the cancel member, the door lock device of the present disclosure can prevent an increase in the number of parts that would accompany the addition of an ice-breaking function. Furthermore, by holding the cancel member in the retraction-permitting position, the icebreaker is held in the inoperative position and stationary relative to the housing, allowing the closing member to rotate. Therefore, when the tension member is pulled by the door closer, the latch can be moved from the half-latched position to the fully latched position without activating the icebreaker, thereby reducing the load on the door closer. As a result, the number of parts in a door lock device with ice-breaking function can be reduced, preventing costs from increasing, while also reducing the load on the door closer that pulls the tension member to move the latch to the fully latched position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a door of a vehicle to which a door lock device of the present disclosure is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a door lock device of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view of a door lock device according to the present disclosure, viewed from the latch mechanism side; [Figure 4] 1 is a plan view of a door lock device according to the present disclosure, viewed from the actuator side; [Figure 5] 1 is an enlarged view of a main portion of a door lock device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the door lock device of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the door lock device of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the door lock device of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 9] 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the door lock device of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the door lock device of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is an enlarged view of a main part for explaining the operation of the door lock device of the present disclosure. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle door 1 to which a door lock device 10 of the present disclosure is applied. The door 1 is a front door for the driver's seat or passenger seat of the vehicle, and includes a door main body 2 forming the lower half of the door 1 and a door sash 3 forming the upper half of the door 1 and guiding the window glass. In addition to an outer panel 4, the door main body 2 also includes an inner panel (not shown) fixed to the inside (compartment side) of the outer panel 4, and a resin trim (not shown) fixed to the passenger side surface of the inner panel. The door 1 is a swing door that can rotate from a fully closed position, through a half-closed position (half-open position), to a fully open position, around a front end portion rotatably supported by a vehicle body (not shown). The half-closed position is a position slightly moved toward the open position from the fully closed position.
[0011] The door 1 also includes an outside door handle 5 attached to the outer panel 4 so as to be able to pull or rotate freely, and an inside door handle 6 attached to the trim so as to be able to pull or rotate freely. The outside door handle 5 and the inside door handle 6 are biased toward their initial positions by a spring or the like (not shown). A vehicle user can open the door 1 by operating the outside door handle 5 or the inside door handle 6 (manual opening operation) to move them from the initial position to the door open position.
[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, a door lock device 10 is disposed in the interior space of a door 1 defined by an outer panel 4 and an inner panel (not shown). More specifically, the door lock device 10 is fixed to, for example, the inner panel so as to be located below an outside door handle 5 within the interior space. The door lock device 10 is connected to a door closer 8 disposed in the interior space of the door 1 via a flexible cable 7. The door closer 8 includes an actuator (not shown) controlled by an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "ECU") (not shown), and is configured to retract (pull) the cable 7 by the driving force of the actuator. The door lock device 10, the door closer 8, etc. are also installed on doors other than the door 1 of the vehicle (the other front and rear doors).
[0013] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the door lock device 10, and Fig. 3 is a front view showing the door lock device 10. As shown in these drawings, the door lock device 10 includes a latch housing 11, an actuator housing 12 connected perpendicularly to the latch housing 11, a latch mechanism 20 housed in the latch housing 11, an actuator 30 housed in the actuator housing 12, a manual operation mechanism 40, and a close mechanism 50. The latch mechanism 20 can selectively establish a fully latched state in which the door 1 is held in a fully closed position, a half-latched state in which the door 1 is held in a half-closed position that is slightly moved toward the open side from the fully closed position, and an unlatched state in which the door 1 is allowed to open.
[0014] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the latch mechanism 20 includes a latch 21, a pole 22, a pole lift lever 23, a half pole (half latch lever) 24, a block lever (pole holding member) 25, and a block lift lever (drive member) 26. The latch 21 is rotatable around a latch shaft 21a extending from a base portion 13 forming the latch housing 11. The latch 21 is biased by a latch spring (not shown) in a direction (clockwise in FIG. 3 ) that releases a striker S fixed to the vehicle body around the latch shaft 21a relative to the latch housing 11. As shown in FIG. 3 , the latch 21 includes a notch 210 engageable with the striker S, a full latch engagement portion (full latch engagement surface) 211, and a half latch engagement portion (half latch engagement pin) 212. The half latch engagement portion 212 is formed on the rear side of the body of the latch 21 in the plane of FIG. 3 by a cylindrical member (pin) inserted and fixed to the body of the latch 21 so as to extend parallel to the latch shaft 21a.
[0015] The latch 21 can be selectively moved to a full latched position (see solid line in FIG. 3), a half latched position (see two-dot chain line in FIG. 3), and an unlatched position by rotating around the latch shaft 21a. At the full latched position, the striker S on the vehicle body is held by the notch 210 of the latch 21, thereby holding the door 1 in a fully closed position. The half latched position is a position rotated clockwise in FIG. 3 by a predetermined angle from the full latched position. At the half latched position, the striker S on the vehicle body is held by the notch 210 of the latch 21, holding the door 1 in a half closed position. The unlatched position is a position rotated clockwise in FIG. 3 by a further predetermined angle from the half latched position. At the unlatched position, the striker S is released from the notch 210 of the latch 21, allowing the door 1 to open.
[0016] Pole 22 is rotatable about shaft 22a extending from base 13 of latch housing 11 so as to extend parallel to latch shaft 21a of latch 21, and includes an engagement portion 221 as shown in Fig. 3. Pole lift lever 23 is connected to pole 22 and is rotatable integrally with pole 22 about shaft 22a. By rotating integrally about shaft 22a, pole 22 and pole lift lever 23 can selectively move between a restricted position shown in Fig. 3 and a non-restricted position (non-restricted range).
[0017] In this embodiment, the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 are biased counterclockwise in FIG. 3 around the shaft 22a relative to the latch housing 11 by a pole spring (not shown) so as to be positioned at the restricted position. When the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 are in the restricted position, the engaging portion 221 of the pole 22 is positioned inside (upper side in FIG. 3) the rotation trajectory of the full latch engaging portion 211 of the latch 21. This allows the engaging portion 221 of the pole 22 to engage with the full latch engaging portion 211 of the latch 21, and the pole 22 can hold the latch 21 in the full latch position.
[0018] Furthermore, the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 move to the unrestricted position by rotating together around the shaft 22a in the clockwise direction in Fig. 3 by a predetermined angle. When the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 move to the unrestricted position, the engaging portion 221 of the pole 22 is positioned outside (below in Fig. 3) the rotational trajectory of the full latch engaging portion 211 of the latch 21. This allows the latch 21, biased by the latch spring, to rotate in the clockwise direction in Fig. 3, i.e., to move to the unlatched position.
[0019] The half pole 24 is rotatable around a half pole shaft 24a extending parallel to the latch shaft 21a of the latch 21, and includes an engaging portion 242 that is engageable with the half latch engaging portion 212 of the latch 21, as shown in Fig. 3. By rotating around the half pole shaft 24a, the half pole 24 can be selectively moved between an engaged position and a disengaged position shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, the half pole 24 is biased counterclockwise in Fig. 3 around the shaft portion 22a by a half pole spring 24s so as to be positioned at the engaged position.
[0020] When the half pole 24 is in the engaged position, the engaging portion 242 of the half pole 24 is located on the rotational trajectory of the half-latch engaging portion 212 of the latch 21. This allows the engaging portion 242 to engage with the full-latch engaging portion 211 on the rear side of the paper surface of FIG. 3 of the main body of the latch 21, and the half pole 24 can hold the latch 21 in the half-latched position. The half pole 24 moves to the disengaged position by rotating a predetermined angle in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 about the half-pole shaft 24a against the biasing force of the half-pole spring 24s. When the half pole 24 moves to the disengaged position, the engaging portion 242 of the half pole 24 is located outside (upper side in FIG. 3) of the rotational trajectory of the full-latch engaging portion 211 of the latch 21. This allows the latch 21, biased by the latch spring, to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3, i.e., to move to the unlatched position.
[0021] The block lever 25 is rotatable about a shaft 25a extending from the base portion 13 of the latch housing 11 so as to extend parallel to the latch shaft 21a of the latch 21, and includes an engagement portion 251 that is engageable with the engagement portion 221 of the pole 22, as shown in Fig. 3. By rotating about the shaft 25a, the block lever 25 can be selectively moved between the holding position shown in Fig. 3 and the non-holding position. Furthermore, the block lever 25 is biased counterclockwise in Fig. 3 about the shaft 25a by a block lever spring (not shown) so that the block lever 25 is positioned at the holding position.
[0022] When the block lever 25 is in the holding position, the engagement portion 251 of the block lever 25 is located on the rotation trajectory of the engagement portion 221 of the pole 22. This allows the block lever 25 to restrict movement of the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 to the non-restricted position. The block lever 25 moves to the non-holding position by rotating a predetermined angle clockwise in FIG. 3 around the shaft 25a. When the block lever 25 moves to the non-holding position, the engagement portion 251 of the block lever 25 is located outside (to the right in FIG. 3) the rotation trajectory of the engagement portion 221 of the pole 22. This allows rotation of the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3, i.e., movement to the non-restricted position.
[0023] Like the block lever 25, the block lift lever 26 is rotatable about a shaft 25a extending from the base 13 of the latch housing 11 and is disposed on the far side of the block lever 25 in the plane of the drawing in FIG. 3. By rotating about the shaft 25a, the block lift lever 26 can be selectively moved to a first position, a second position, and a third position shown in FIG. 3. The second position is a position rotated a predetermined angle clockwise from the first position in FIG. 3, and the third position is a position rotated a further predetermined angle clockwise from the second position in FIG. 3. Furthermore, the block lift lever 26 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 3 around the shaft 25a by a block lift lever spring (not shown) so as to be positioned at the first position.
[0024] 3, and is engageable with the block lever 25. When the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position to the second position, or when the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position to the third position beyond the second position, the first engagement portion 261 abuts against the block lever 25 and presses the block lever 25, moving it from the holding position to the non-holding position against the biasing force of the block lever spring.
[0025] The second engagement portion 262 can engage with the pole lift lever 23. When the block lift lever 26 is in the first or second position, the second engagement portion 262 does not engage (abut) with the pole lift lever 23 and is separated from the pole lift lever 23. In contrast, when the block lift lever 26 moves from the second position to the third position, the second engagement portion 262 moves upward in FIG. 3 to abut against the pole lift lever 23 and presses the pole lift lever 23 against the biasing force of the pole spring. At this time, the block lever 25 has already moved to the non-retaining position, allowing the pole 22 to move from the restricted position to the non-restricted position. Therefore, when the block lift lever 26 moves from the second position to the third position, the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 move (rotate) together from the restricted position to the non-restricted position against the biasing force of the pole spring, allowing the latch 21 to rotate clockwise in FIG. 3, i.e., to the unlatched position.
[0026] The block lift lever 26 is rotated around the shaft 25a by an actuator 30 disposed within the actuator housing 12. As shown in FIG. 4 and other figures, the actuator 30 includes a motor 31, a worm gear 32, a rotating member 33, a rotation biasing member 34, and a release lever 35. The motor 31 is controlled by the ECU so as to generate rotational torque (driving force) in both forward and reverse directions. The rotating member 33 is a worm wheel that can rotate in forward and reverse directions around a shaft 33a extending from the base 14 that forms the actuator housing 12, and meshes with the worm gear 32 attached to the rotating shaft of the motor 31.
[0027] In this embodiment, the worm gear 32 of the motor 31 and the rotating member 33 are reciprocally drivable. The rotating member 33 is driven to rotate in forward and reverse directions by the rotational torque from the motor 31, and can be selectively moved between a neutral position and a release position. The rotation biasing member 34 is a torsion coil spring that biases the rotating member 33 around the shaft 33a toward a predetermined neutral position when the motor 31 is stopped. Furthermore, the rotating member 33 is formed with an engaging portion (not shown) that can engage with a release lever 35, and this engaging portion moves downward in FIGS. 2 to 4 when the rotating member 33 moves from the neutral position toward the release position.
[0028] The release lever 35 is a relatively long plate, and a shaft 35a extending parallel to the shaft 33a from the base 14 of the actuator housing 12 is inserted into a through-hole formed in the longitudinal center of the release lever 35. That is, the release lever 35 is rotatably supported around the shaft 35a by the actuator housing 12, and can be selectively moved between a neutral position and a release position by rotating around the shaft 35a. The release lever 35 includes a first engagement portion at one longitudinal end that can engage with the engagement portion of the rotating member 33, and a second engagement portion at the other longitudinal end that can engage with the block lift lever 26. The first engagement portion of the release lever 35 is located below the engagement portion of the rotating member 33 in FIG. 3 and the like, and the second engagement portion of the release lever 35 is located below an engagement portion (not shown) formed on the block lift lever 26 in FIG. 3 and the like.
[0029] When the rotational torque from the motor 31 causes the rotating member 33 to move (rotate) from the neutral position to the release position, the first engagement portion is pushed down by the engagement portion of the rotating member 33, causing the release lever 35 to move from the neutral position to the release position and the second engagement portion to rise. As a result, the second engagement portion of the release lever 35 pushes up the engagement portion (not shown) of the block lift lever 26, and the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position past the second position to the third position against the biasing force of the block lift lever spring. As a result, by operating the actuator 30, it is possible to switch the latch mechanism 20 from a fully latched state to a half-latched state or an unlatched state.
[0030] On the other hand, when the rotation of the motor 31 stops after the latch mechanism 20 has reached the unlatched state, the rotating member 33 moves (rotates) from the release position to the neutral position due to the biasing force of the rotation biasing member 34. As a result, the block lift lever 26 is no longer pressed by the second engagement portion of the release lever 35, and the block lift lever 26 moves (returns) to the first position due to the biasing force of the block lift lever spring. Furthermore, the release lever 35 is pressed by the block lift lever 26 and moves (returns) to the neutral position.
[0031] In addition, in the door lock device 10, the latch mechanism 20 can be switched from a fully latched state or a half latched state to an unlatched state in response to a user manually opening the outside door handle 5 or the inside door handle 6. That is, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the door lock device 10 includes, as the manual operation mechanism 40, an outside open lever 41 connected to the outside door handle 5 and an inside open lever 45 connected to the inside door handle 6.
[0032] The outside open lever 41 is a relatively long plate, and a shaft 41a extending parallel to the latch shaft 21a from the base 13 of the latch housing 11 is inserted into a through-hole formed in the center of the outside open lever 41 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the outside open lever 41 is rotatably supported around the shaft 41a by the latch housing 11, and can be selectively moved between an inoperative position and an operative position shown in FIG. 3 by rotating around the shaft 41a.
[0033] The outside open lever 41 is biased by an open lever spring 41s in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 around the shaft 41a relative to the latch housing 11 so as to be positioned in the inoperative position. One end (the right end in FIG. 3) of the outside open lever 41 engages with an open rod (not shown) that is connected to the outside door handle 5. A connecting portion is formed at the other end (the left end in FIG. 3) of the outside open lever 41, and an open link 42 is connected to this connecting portion so as to be rotatable relative to the outside open lever 41. The open link 42 can move toward or away from the block lift lever 26 in conjunction with the outside open lever 41 rotating around the shaft 41a.
[0034] When the outside door handle 5 is manually opened by a user, the open rod moves downward in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the outside open lever 41 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3 around the shaft 41a against the biasing force of the open lever spring 41s, moving from the inoperative position to the operative position. This causes the open link 42 connected to the outside open lever 41 to abut against a portion of the block lift lever 26, pushing up the block lift lever 26, which moves from the first position, past the second position, to the third position. As a result, by manually opening the outside door handle 5, the latch mechanism 20 can be switched from the fully latched state or the half-latched state to the unlatched state.
[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, the inside open lever 45 is rotatably supported by a shaft 45a extending parallel to the shafts 33a, etc. from the base 14 of the actuator housing 12. By rotating about the shaft 45a, the inside open lever 45 can be selectively moved between an inoperative position and an operative position shown in Fig. 4. The inside open lever 45 is biased counterclockwise in Fig. 4 about the shaft 45a relative to the actuator housing 12 by an open lever spring (not shown) so as to be positioned at the inoperative position. A cable 9 that connects to the inside door handle 6 is connected to one end (the lower end in Fig. 4) of the inside open lever 45. A pressing portion 451 is formed at the other end (the upper end in Fig. 4) of the inside open lever 45. The pressing portion 451 can press the release lever 35 to move it from the neutral position to the release position via a bushing 46 that is rotatably supported together with the release lever 35 by the shaft 35a.
[0036] When the inside door handle 6 is manually opened by a user, the cable 9 is pulled to the left in FIG. 4 by the inside door handle 6. Accordingly, the inside open lever 45 rotates clockwise in FIG. 4 around the shaft 45a against the biasing force of an open lever spring (not shown), moving from the inoperative position to the operative position. The pressing portion 451 of the inside open lever 45 presses the release lever 35 via the bushing 46 to move it from the neutral position to the released position. As a result, the second engaging portion of the release lever 35 pushes up the engaging portion (not shown) of the block lift lever 26, and the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position, past the second position, to the third position against the biasing force of the block lift lever spring. As a result, the latch mechanism 20 can be switched from the fully latched state or the half-latched state to the unlatched state by manually opening the inside door handle 6.
[0037] After the latch 21 has moved to the unlatched position, when the vehicle user returns the outside door handle 5 or the inside door handle 6 to its initial position, the outside open lever 41 is urged counterclockwise in FIG. 3 around the shaft 41a by the open lever spring 41s and returns to the inoperative position. Furthermore, the open link 42 moves away from the block lift lever 26 in conjunction with the rotation of the outside open lever 41, releasing the pressure on the block lift lever 26. Furthermore, the block lift lever 26 moves (returns) to the first position due to the urging force of the block lift lever spring, and the block lever 25 moves (returns) to the holding position.
[0038] The closing mechanism 50 is capable of switching the latch mechanism 20 from the half-latched state to the full-latched state by the driving force of the door closer 8 when the door 1 is in the half-closed position and the latch mechanism 20 is in the half-latched state (so-called "door ajar" state), thereby retracting the door 1, and includes a closing member 51 and a cancel lever (cancel member) 52. The closing member 51 is rotatable about a shaft (support shaft) 51a extending from the base 13 of the latch housing 11 so as to extend parallel to the latch shaft 21a of the latch 21. The closing member 51 is biased by a spring 51s toward the initial position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and abuts against a stopper 131 provided on the base 13 of the latch housing 11 at the initial position.
[0039] 3 and 5, one end of the cable 7 is connected to the closing member 51. When the cable 7 is pulled by the door closer 8, the closing member 51 rotates clockwise around the shaft 51a from the initial position to move to the closed position. In this embodiment, the closing member 51 includes a cylindrical guided portion 510 that extends parallel to the shaft 51a and protrudes from the front and back surfaces of the closing member 51. The end of the guided portion 510 on the far side of the paper in FIGS. 3 and 5 is slidably guided by a guide groove (not shown) formed in the sub-base 15 that is fixed to the base portion 13 of the latch housing 11. When the closing member 51 reaches the closed position, the guided portion 510 abuts against a portion (stopper portion) that defines one end of the guide groove of the sub-base 15.
[0040] 3 and 5, the closing member 51 supports the half-pole shaft 24a and rotatably supports the half-pole 24 via the half-pole shaft 24a. In this embodiment, the half-pole 24 is formed in a substantially L-shape and is rotatably supported by the closing member 51 via the half-pole shaft 24a inserted through the bent portion of the half-pole 24. The half-pole 24 is disposed on the front side of the closing member 51 in FIGS. 3 and 5, and when the closing member 51 is in the initial position, is biased to the engagement position by a half-pole spring 24s, one end of which is supported by the closing member 51. The engaging portion 242 of the half-pole 24 is formed on one end of the half-pole 24 and has two contact surfaces 242a and 242b that are capable of contacting the outer circumferential surface of the half-latch engaging portion 212 of the latch 21 on the latch shaft 21a side (lower side) than the half-pole shaft 24a, as shown in FIG. 5. One of the contact surfaces 242a is formed to contact the half latch engagement portion 212 having a circular cross-sectional shape from the half pole shaft 24a side (side), and the other contact surface 242b is formed to contact the half latch engagement portion 212 from the opposite side (upper side) to the latch shaft 21a side.
[0041] Like the closing member 51, the cancel lever 52 is rotatable around a shaft 51a extending from the base 13 of the latch housing 11 and is biased toward the retraction-allowed position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 by a cancel lever spring (not shown). In this embodiment, the cancel lever 52 is disposed on the rear side of the closing member 51 in the plane of the drawings in FIGS. 3 and 5. The cancel lever 52 also has a guide portion 520, as shown in FIG. 5. The guide portion 520 is an opening extending in a substantially arc shape, and the guide portion 520 slidably guides a cylindrical guided portion 241 formed at one end of the half pole 24. In this embodiment, the guided portion 241 protrudes from one end of the half pole 24 toward the rear side of the plane of the drawings in FIGS. 3 and 5 and is loosely fitted within the guide portion 520. The cancel lever 52 is further connected to the block lift lever 26 via a relatively long connecting member (connecting rod) 53.
[0042] When the block lift lever 26 is in the first position, the cancel lever 52 is held in the retraction allowable position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. When the cancel lever 52 is in the retraction allowable position, the half pole 24 is held in the engaged position by the biasing force of the half pole spring 24s. When the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position to the third position due to either the rotational torque (driving force) of the actuator 30 (motor 31) or a manual opening operation by the user, the cancel lever 52 moves to the retraction cancel position by rotating clockwise around the shaft 51a by a predetermined angle in FIGS. 3 and 5, interlocking with the block lift lever 26 via the connecting member 53. Furthermore, while the cancel lever 52 moves from the retraction allowable position to the retraction cancel position, the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 520 presses the guided portion 241 of the half pole 24, causing the half pole 24 to rotate clockwise in FIGS. 3 and 5 relative to the closing member 51. As a result, when the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position toward the third position, the half pole 24 moves from the engaged position to the disengaged position against the biasing force of the half pole spring 24s before the pole 22 and the pole lift lever 23 move (rotate) from the restricted position to the disengaged position against the biasing force of the pole spring.
[0043] The closing mechanism 50 of the door lock device 10 also includes an icebreaker 55 that provides an ice-breaking function. When the door 1 (the gap between the edge of the door 1 and the vehicle body (weather trip)) is frozen in the fully closed position, the icebreaker 55 can be pressed against the latch 21 to open the door 1. The icebreaker 55 is a plate having a substantially triangular planar shape and includes a first hole 551, a second hole 552, and a third hole 553. The first hole 551 is an elongated hole that extends in a predetermined direction and penetrates the icebreaker 55. A shaft (support shaft) 51a extending from the base 13 of the latch housing 11 is inserted into the first hole 551 so as to be movable between one end (the left end in FIG. 5 ) and the other end (the right end in FIG. 5 ). That is, the icebreaker 55 is supported by the shaft 51a shared by the closing member 51 and the cancel lever 52 so as to be slidable in a predetermined direction (the extending direction of the first hole 551).
[0044] The second hole 552 is an arc-shaped hole extending along an arc centered on the shaft 51a located at one end (the left end in FIG. 5 ) of the first hole 551. When the shaft 51a is located at one end of the first hole 551, the end of the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 on the front side of the paper in FIG. 5 is slidably inserted into the second hole 552. As a result, when the shaft 51a is located at one end of the first hole 551, the guided portion 510 is slidably guided by the second hole 552, and rotation around the shaft 51a of the closing member 51 is permitted. The third hole 553 extends from one end (the upper end in FIG. 5 ) of the second hole 552 so as to be spaced apart from the first hole 551 along the predetermined direction, i.e., the extension direction of the first hole 551. When the shaft portion 51a moves from one end of the first hole portion 551 toward the other end (the right end in Figure 5), the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 enters the third hole portion 553 and engages with the third hole portion 553 (icebreaker 55).
[0045] Furthermore, the icebreaker 55 is biased in a direction from the third hole 553 toward the first hole 551 (to the left in FIG. 5) by a spring (biasing member) 55s supported by the latch housing 11. In addition, the icebreaker 55 includes an engaging portion 554 that can engage with the other end 245 of the half pole 24, and a pressing portion 555 that can abut against the latch 21. When the half pole 24 is in the engaged position, it engages with the engaging portion 554 to restrict movement of the icebreaker 55 in the direction from the third hole 553 toward the first hole 551, and holds the icebreaker 55 in the inoperative position shown in FIG. 5 against the biasing force of the spring 55s. In the inoperative position, the icebreaker 55 is stationary relative to the latch housing 11, with the shaft 51a positioned at one end (left end in Figure 5) of the first hole portion 551 and the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 positioned at one end (top end in Figure 5) of the second hole portion 552.
[0046] 5 relative to the closing member 51 in response to the movement of the cancel lever 52 from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position. As a result, the half pole 24 moves from the engaged position to the disengaged position, allowing the ice breaker 55 to move from the third hole 553 toward the first hole 551 due to the biasing force of the spring 55s. The ice breaker 55 then moves to the operating position due to the biasing force of the spring 55s. When the ice breaker 55 is in the operating position, the shaft 51a is positioned at the other end (the right end in FIG. 5) of the first hole 551, and the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 enters the third hole 553.
[0047] Next, the operation of the latch mechanism 20 and the closing mechanism 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 5 , when the vehicle user manually operates the outside door handle 5 or the inside door handle 6 to open the door 1 while the door 1 is in the fully closed position and the latch 21 is held in the fully latched position, the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position to the second position and then to the third position against the biasing force of the block lift lever spring. Accordingly, the first engagement portion 261 of the block lift lever 26 presses the block lever 25, moving (rotating) it from the holding position to the non-holding position, and then the second engagement portion 262 moves (rotates) the pawl 22 and the pawl lift lever 23 from the restricting position to the non-restricting position against the biasing force of the pawl spring. In response to the movement of the block lift lever 26 from the first position to the third position, the cancel lever 52 rotates around the shaft 51 a and moves from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position. Accordingly, the half pawl 24 moves from the engaged position to the non-engaged position before the pawl 22 moves to the non-restricting position.
[0049] As a result, as the pawl 22 moves to the non-restricted position, the latch 21 moves (rotates) from the fully latched position toward the unlatched position due to the biasing force of the latch spring, so that the door 1 can be rotated to the fully open position by manually operating the outside door handle 5 or the like. However, depending on the degree of operation of the outside door handle 5 or the like, the block lift lever 26 may quickly move (return) to the first position due to the biasing force of the block lift lever spring in response to the return of the outside door handle 5 or the like. Accordingly, the cancel lever 52 moves (returns) to the retraction permitting position, and the half pawl 24 moves (returns) to the engaged position. Therefore, when the outside door handle 5 or the like is lightly operated, the half latch engaging portion 212 of the latch 21 is biased by the half pawl spring 24s to come into contact (engage) with the contact surfaces 242a, 242b of the engaging portion 242 of the half pawl 24, which is in the engaged position.
[0050] As a result, the latch mechanism 20 forms a half-latched state that holds the door 1 in a half-closed position, as shown in Fig. 6, and restricts movement of the latch 21, which is biased by the latch spring, to the unlatched position. In this half-latched state, the half pole 24 is in the engaged position and the cancel lever 52 is in the retraction-permitted position, so the icebreaker 55 is held in the inoperative position by the half pole 24 against the biasing force of the spring 55s and is stationary relative to the latch housing 11. Furthermore, in the half-latched state, the engagement portion 251 engages with the engagement portion 221 of the pole 22, which is in the unrestricted position, thereby holding the block lever 25 in the unrestricted position.
[0051] On the other hand, when the door 1 is opened and the latch 21 is in the unlatched position due to the biasing force of the latch spring, if the vehicle user rotates the door 1 toward the fully closed position, the latch 21 is pressed by the striker S of the vehicle body that has entered the cutout portion 210, and moves (rotates) toward the half-latched position against the biasing force of the latch spring. Furthermore, as the half-latch engaging portion 212 of the latch 21 moves toward the half-latched position, it presses the half-pole 24, causing it to rotate clockwise in FIG. 5 and other figures about the half-pole shaft 24a. This causes the half-pole 24 to move from the engaged position to the disengaged position, and accordingly, it presses the cancel lever 52, causing it to rotate clockwise in FIG. 5 and other figures about the shaft portion 51a from the retraction allowance position. Furthermore, the cancel lever 52 rotates clockwise in FIG. 5 and other figures about the shaft portion 51a, pulling (pulling up) the connecting member 53.
[0052] In response to the movement of the connecting member 53, the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position to at least the second position against the biasing force of the block lift lever spring, and the first engagement portion 261 of the block lift lever 26 presses the block lever 25, moving it from the holding position to the non-holding position. Furthermore, the latch 21, which moves (rotates) toward the half-latched position, presses the pawl 22, causing the pawl 22 and the pawl lift lever 23 to move (rotate) from the restricting position to the non-restricting position against the biasing force of the pawl spring. When the force applied to the door 1 toward the closing side is small, when the latch 21 reaches the half-latched position, the half-latch engagement portion 212 abuts (engages) with the abutment surfaces 242a, 242b of the engagement portion 242 of the half pole 24, which has moved (returned) to the engaging position by the biasing force of the half pole spring 24s. This places the latch mechanism 20 in the half-latched state shown in FIG. 6.
[0053] Furthermore, when the half pole 24 moves (returns) to the engaged position due to the biasing force of the half pole spring 24s, the cancel lever 52 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 51a in FIG. 5 etc., and moves (pushes down) the connecting member 53 toward the block lift lever 26 while moving (returning) to the retraction-permitting position. As a result, the block lift lever 26 moves (returns) to the first position due to the biasing force of the block lift lever spring. Meanwhile, the block lever 25 is held in the non-retaining position by the engagement portion 251 engaging with the engagement portion 221 of the pole 22, which is in the non-restricted position. Furthermore, the icebreaker 55 is held in the non-operated position by the half pole 24 against the biasing force of the spring 55s, and is stationary relative to the latch housing 11.
[0054] Here, after the latch mechanism 20 has established the half-latched state as described above, it transitions to a fully latched state or an unlatched state in response to a user's manual opening operation, switch operation, or the like. However, if the user does not perform the appropriate operation, the latch mechanism 20 may remain in the half-latched state for one of the vehicle's multiple doors, including door 1. For this reason, the ECU that controls the door lock device 10 and door closer 8 for each door monitors the status of multiple sensors (switches, not shown) that are provided for each door and detect the formation of the half-latched state, and determines whether the half-latched state for any of the multiple doors has continued for a predetermined period of time or longer. If the half-latched state for any of the multiple doors has continued for a predetermined period of time or longer, the ECU then activates the actuator of the corresponding door closer 8 to switch the latch mechanism 20 for that door from the half-latched state to the fully latched state.
[0055] If the half-latched state of the door 1 continues for a predetermined time or longer, the ECU operates the actuator of the door closer 8 of the door 1 to retract the cable 7. As described above, in the half-latched state, the icebreaker 55 is held in the inoperative position by the half pole 24 against the biasing force of the spring 55s, the shaft 51a of the closing member 51 is positioned at one end (the left end in FIG. 6 ) of the first hole 551, and the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 is positioned at one end of the second hole 552. Therefore, when the cable 7 is pulled by the door closer 8, as shown in FIG. 7 , the closing member 51 rotates clockwise around the shaft 51a and moves from the initial position toward the closed position, and the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 moves while being guided by the second hole 552.
[0056] Furthermore, when the closing member 51 rotates toward the closed position, as shown in Fig. 7, the half pole 24 rotates about the half pole shaft 24a relative to the closing member 51 and moves together with the closing member 51 while being slidably guided (supported) by the cancel lever 52, which is in the retraction allowance position, via the guided portion 241 and the guide portion 520, to press the half latch engaging portion 212 of the latch 21. As a result, the latch 21 rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 7 about the latch shaft 21a, moving from the half latch position toward the full latch position. Accordingly, the striker S of the vehicle body inserted in the notch 210 is pressed toward the outside of the vehicle as the latch 21 rotates, and the reaction force moves the door 1 from the half-closed position to the fully closed position.
[0057] Furthermore, while the latch 21 moves (rotates) toward the fully latched position, the pressure on the pawl 22 by the latch 21 is released, and the pawl 22 and the pawl lift lever 23 move (rotate) from the non-restricted position to the restricted position due to the biasing force of the pawl spring. Furthermore, in response to the movement of the pawl 22 and the pawl lift lever 23 to the restricted position, the block lever 25 moves (rotates) from the non-restricted position to the retained position due to the biasing force of the block lever spring, and restricts the movement of the pawl 22 and the pawl lift lever 23 to the non-restricted position. As a result, when the closing member 51 reaches the closed position, as shown in FIG. 8, the latch 21 is positioned at the fully latched position, and the latch mechanism 20 is in a fully latched state, and the door 1 retracted into the vehicle body is held in the fully closed position.
[0058] Furthermore, when a sensor (switch, not shown) provided on the door 1 detects that the door is in the fully latched state, the ECU controls the door closer 8 to release the retraction of the cable 7. As a result, the closing member 51 moves (rotates) to the initial position while pulling the cable 7 and the half pole 24 due to the biasing force of the spring 51s. Furthermore, when the closing member 51 moves to the initial position, the half pole 24 is biased by the half pole spring 24s to the engaged position. Note that while the closing member 51 rotates around the shaft 51a as described above, the cancel lever 52 is held in the retraction-permitting position, thereby holding the icebreaker 55 in the inoperative position.
[0059] On the other hand, if the vehicle user operates a cancel switch (not shown) after the door closer 8 starts retracting the cable 7, the ECU controls the door closer 8 to release the retraction of the cable 7 and controls the motor 31 to move (rotate) the rotating member 33 of the actuator 30 from the neutral position to the release position. Furthermore, if the vehicle user manually opens the outside door handle 5 or the inside door handle 6 after the door closer 8 starts retracting the cable 7, the ECU controls the door closer 8 to release the retraction of the cable 7. As a result, in response to the release of the retraction of the cable 7, the closing member 51 moves (rotates) to its initial position while pulling the cable 7 and the half pole 24 due to the biasing force of the spring 51s. Furthermore, the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position, past the second position, to the third position due to either the rotational torque (driving force) of the actuator 30 (motor 31) or the user's manual opening operation.
[0060] 9, the cancel lever 52 rotates clockwise around the shaft 51a in conjunction with the block lift lever 26 via the connecting member 53, moving from the retraction allowable position (see the two-dot chain line in the figure) to the retraction cancel position. Furthermore, while the cancel lever 52 moves from the retraction allowable position to the retraction cancel position, the inner peripheral surface of the guide portion 520 presses the guided portion 241 of the half pole 24, causing the half pole 24 to rotate clockwise in FIG. 9 against the biasing force of the half pole spring 24s relative to the closing member 51. This causes the half pole 24 to move from the engaged position to the disengaged position, disengaging the engaging portion 242 (abutment surfaces 242a, 242b) of the half pole 24 from the half-latch engaging portion 212 of the latch 21. As a result, movement (rotation) of the latch 21 toward the unlatched position is permitted, making it possible to cancel the movement of the latch 21 to the fully latched position (retraction of the door 1) in response to the retraction of the cable 7.
[0061] As the half pole 24 moves from the engaged position to the disengaged position in response to the movement of the cancel lever 52, the ice breaker 55 temporarily moves to the operating position due to the biasing force of the spring 55s, as shown in Figure 9. When the block lift lever 26 moves (returns) to the first position due to the biasing force of the block lift lever spring in response to the return of the outside door handle 5 or the stopping of the motor 31, the cancel lever 52 moves (returns) to the retraction allowing position, the half pole 24 to the engaged position, and the ice breaker 55 to the non-operating position.
[0062] Continuing with reference to FIGS. 5, 10 and 11, the ice-crushing function of the door lock device 10 will be described.
[0063] When the latch mechanism 20 forms the fully latched state shown in FIG. 5 and the door 1 (the gap between the edge of the door 1 and the vehicle body (weather trip)) in the fully closed position is frozen, the door 1 may not be able to be opened by manually opening the outside door handle 5, etc. In light of this, the door lock device 10 is configured to provide an ice-breaking function in response to the operation of a predetermined switch provided on the remote control key or the execution of an application installed on a mobile device such as a smartphone. That is, the ECU that controls the door lock device 10 and the door closer 8 controls the motor 31 to move (rotate) the rotating member 33 of the actuator 30 from the neutral position to the release position and to hold it in the release position in response to a request to execute the ice-breaking function from the remote control key, etc.
[0064] As a result, the rotational torque (driving force) of the actuator 30 (motor 31) moves the block lift lever 26 from the first position past the second position to the third position, and as shown in Figure 10, the cancel lever 52 moves from the retraction allowable position to the retraction cancel position in conjunction with the block lift lever 26 via the connecting member 53. Furthermore, while the cancel lever 52 moves from the retraction allowable position to the retraction cancel position, it also moves the half pole 24 from the engaged position to the disengaged position, and in response to the movement of the half pole 24 from the engaged position to the disengaged position, the ice breaker 55 moves to the operating position by the biasing force of the spring 55s.
[0065] When the icebreaker 55 is held in the operating position, the ECU activates the actuator of the door closer 8 of the door 1 to retract the cable 7. When the icebreaker 55 is in the operating position, the shaft 51a is located at the other end (the right end in FIG. 10) of the first hole 551, and the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 enters the third hole 553, so that the icebreaker 55 engages with the closing member 51. Therefore, when the cable 7 is retracted by the door closer 8, the closing member 51 rotates clockwise in the drawing around the shaft 51a as shown in FIG. 11, moving from the initial position toward the closed position, and the icebreaker 55 rotates clockwise in the drawing around the shaft 51a together with the closing member 51.
[0066] As a result, the pressing portion 555 of the ice breaker 55 can press the latch 21 so as to rotate around the latch shaft 21a in a direction toward the unlatched position (clockwise in FIG. 11 ). As a result, the force applied to the latch 21 from the ice breaker 55 can break the ice so that the door 1 can be opened. In the door lock device 10, the ECU controls the door closer 8 and the like so that the ice breaker 55 presses the latch 21 multiple times as necessary, depending on the position of the latch 21 after the door closer 8 is activated, etc. Furthermore, when the door 1 becomes openable due to the movement (rotation) of the latch 21 toward the unlatched position, the ECU controls the door closer 8 to release the retraction of the cable 7 and stops the output of rotational torque from the motor 31. As a result, the closing member 51 moves (rotates) to its initial position while pulling the cable 7 and half pole 24 due to the force of the spring 51s, and the block lift lever 26 moves (returns) to its first position due to the force of the block lift lever spring, causing the cancel lever 52 to move (return) to its retraction-allowing position, the half pole 24 to its engaged position, and the icebreaker 55 to move (return) to its inoperative position.
[0067] As described above, the door lock device 10 is connected to the door closer 8 via the cable (tensile member) 7, holds the vehicle door 1 in a fully closed position or a half-closed position (closed state), and allows the door 1 to be opened. The door lock device 10 includes a latch housing 11, a latch 21, a pawl 22, a closing member 51, an icebreaker 55, and a cancel lever 52. The latch 21 is rotatably supported by the latch housing 11 and is movable between a fully latched position where the door 1 is held in the fully closed position, a half-latched position where the door 1 is prevented from moving from the half-closed position to the open position, and an unlatched position where the door 1 is allowed to open. The pawl 22 is disposed within the latch housing 11 and is movable between a restricting position where the latch 21 engages with the latch 21 to hold the latch 21 in the fully latched position, and an unrestricting position where the latch 21 is allowed to move from the fully latched position toward the unlatched position. The closing member 51 is rotatably supported by the latch housing 11 and connected to the cable 7. When the latch 21 is in the half-latched position and the cable 7 is pulled by the door closer 8, the closing member 51 is moved from the half-latched position to the fully latched position. The icebreaker 55 is movable between an inoperative position where it is stationary relative to the latch housing 11 and allows the closing member 51 to rotate, and an operative position where it engages with the closing member 51. When the icebreaker 55 is in the operative position and the cable 7 is pulled by the door closer 8, the icebreaker 55 moves integrally with the closing member 51 and presses the latch 21 to move from the fully latched position toward the unlatched position. The cancel lever 52 is movable between a retraction allowance position and a retraction cancel position. When the cancel lever 52 is in the retraction allowance position, it holds the icebreaker 55 in the inoperative position, and when it moves from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, it moves the icebreaker 55 from the inoperative position to the operative position.
[0068] As a result, when the vehicle door 1 becomes frozen while the latch 21 is in the fully latched position, the cancel lever 52 can be moved from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position and the door closer 8 can pull the cable 7, causing the ice breaker 55 to press the latch 21 and break the ice so that the door 1 can be opened. Furthermore, because the ice breaker 55 is a single component that operates in conjunction with the closing member 51 and the cancel lever 52, the door lock device 10 can avoid an increase in the number of components that would accompany the addition of an ice-breaking function. Furthermore, if the cancel lever 52 is held in the retraction allowance position, the ice breaker 55 is held in a non-operating position and stationary relative to the latch housing 11, allowing the closing member 51 to rotate. Therefore, when the cable 7 is pulled by the door closer 8, the latch 21 can be moved from the half-latched position to the fully latched position without activating the ice breaker 55, thereby reducing the load on the door closer 8. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of parts in the door lock device 10 with ice-breaking function, thereby suppressing increases in costs, while also reducing the load on the door closer 8, which pulls the cable 7 to move the latch 21 to the fully latched position.
[0069] The door lock device 10 is supported by the latch housing 11 and includes a spring 55s that biases the icebreaker 55 toward the actuated position. The closing member 51 and the cancel lever 52 are rotatable around a shaft 51a provided on the latch housing 11. The closing member 51 includes a guided portion 510 that protrudes parallel to the shaft 51a. The icebreaker 55 includes a first hole 551, a second hole 552, and a third hole 553 that extend in a predetermined direction. The shaft 51a is inserted into the first hole 551 so as to be movable between one end corresponding to the inoperative position and the other end corresponding to the actuated position. The second hole 552 extends along an arc centered on the shaft 51a located at one end of the first hole 551 and slidably guides the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51. The third hole 553 extends from the second hole 552 along the predetermined direction (the extension direction of the first hole 551) so as to be away from the first hole 551, and is engageable with the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51. When the cancel lever 52 is in the retraction allowance position, it restricts movement of the icebreaker 55 in the predetermined direction due to the biasing force of the spring 55s so that the shaft 51a is positioned at one end of the first hole 551. Furthermore, the cancel lever 52 moves from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, allowing movement of the icebreaker 55 in the predetermined direction due to the biasing force of the spring 55s so that the guided portion 510 of the closing member 51 engages with the third hole 553.
[0070] As a result, if the cancel lever 52 is held in the retraction allowance position, the icebreaker 55 is held in the inoperative position against the biasing force of the spring 55s, and it becomes possible to allow rotation of the closing member 51 while guiding the guided portion 510 by the second hole portion 552 without activating the icebreaker 55. In addition, if the cancel lever 52 is moved from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, the biasing force of the spring 55s causes the guided portion 510 to engage with the third hole portion 553, allowing the icebreaker 55 to move integrally with the closing member 51.
[0071] The door lock device 10 further includes a half pole 24 that engages with the latch 21 to hold the latch 21 in the half-latched position, and the closing member 51 rotatably supports the half pole 24. When the half pole 24 holds the latch 21 in the half-latched position and the cable 7 is pulled by the door closer 8, the closing member 51 presses the half pole 24 to move the latch 21 from the half-latched position to the fully latched position. When the cancel lever 52 is in the retraction allowance position, it allows the latch 21 to engage with the half pole 24 and slidably guides the half pole 24 pressed by the closing member 51. Furthermore, the cancel lever 52 rotates the half pole 24 relative to the closing member 51 so as to move from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, thereby releasing the engagement between the latch 21 and the half pole 24. When the cancel lever 52 allows the half pole 24 to engage with the latch 21, the half pole 24 engages with the icebreaker 55 and holds the icebreaker 55 in the inoperative position against the biasing force of the spring 55s. Additionally, as the cancel lever 52 moves from the retraction permitted position to the retraction canceled position, the half pole 24 allows the icebreaker 55 to move due to the biasing force of the spring 55s, moving the icebreaker 55 to the operative position.
[0072] This allows the half pole 24 to function as an engaging portion that engages with the latch 21 and to move the icebreaker 55 between the inoperative position and the operative position, thereby reducing the number of parts and suppressing an increase in the cost of the door lock device 10. Furthermore, by holding the cancel lever 52 in the retraction allowance position, the half pole 24 pressed by the closing member 51 can be slidably guided by the cancel lever 52, allowing the latch 21 to be smoothly moved from the half-latched position to the fully latched position. Furthermore, by moving the cancel lever 52 from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, the cancel lever 52 rotates the half pole 24 relative to the closing member 51 to release the engagement between the latch 21 and the half pole 24, thereby making it possible to cancel the movement of the latch 21 to the fully latched position in response to the pulling of the cable 7, i.e., the retraction of the door 1.
[0073] The door lock device 10 also includes a block lever 25 and a block lift lever 26. The block lever 25 is movable between a holding position where it engages with the pawl 22 and holds the pawl 22 in the restricting position and a non-holding position where it allows the pawl 22 to move from the restricting position to the non-restricting position. The block lift lever 26 moves from a first position to a second position by either the driving force of the actuator 30 or a manual opening operation of the door 1, thereby moving the block lever 25 from the holding position to the non-holding position. The block lift lever 26 also moves from the first position past the second position to a third position by either the driving force of the actuator 30 or a manual opening operation, thereby moving the pawl 22 from the restricting position to the non-restricting position. The cancel lever 52 is connected to the block lift lever 26 via a connecting member 53 and moves from a retraction allowance position to a retraction cancel position in response to the block lift lever 26 moving from the first position to the third position.
[0074] As a result, when the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position to the third position by either the driving force of the actuator 30 or a manual opening operation, the cancel lever 52 moves from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, and when the block lift lever 26 moves from the first position to the second position, the block lever 25 allows the pole 22 to move from the restricting position to the non-restricting position, and then the pole 22 moves to the non-restricting position. Therefore, when the block lift lever 26 is moved from the first position to the third position by the actuator 30 or a manual opening operation, the movement of the latch 21 to the unlatched position is permitted and the movement of the latch 21 to the fully latched position in response to pulling on the cable 7 can be canceled. If the vehicle door 1 becomes frozen with the latch 21 in the fully latched position, the ice breaker 55 can be moved to the non-restricting position to press the latch 21 and break the ice so that the door 1 can be opened.
[0075] It should be noted that the invention of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment is merely one specific form of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention section, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the Summary of the Invention section. [Industrial Applicability]
[0076] The invention of the present disclosure can be used in the door lock device manufacturing industry, etc. [Explanation of symbols]
[0077] 1 Door, 5 Outside door handle, 6 Inside door handle, 7 Cable (tension member), 8 Door closer, 10 Door lock device, 11 Latch housing, 12 Actuator housing, 20 Latch mechanism, 21 Latch, 211 Full latch engagement portion, 212 Half latch engagement portion, 21a Latch shaft, 22 Pole, 23 Pole lift lever, 24 Half pole, 241 Guided portion, 242 Engagement portion, 242a, 242b Abutment surface, 24a Half pole shaft, 25 Block lever (pole holding member), 26 Block lift lever (driving member), 30 Actuator, 31 Motor, 41 Outside open lever, 42 Open link, 45 Inside open lever, 51 Close member, 510 Guided portion, 51a Shaft portion (support shaft), 52 Cancel lever, 520 Guide portion, 53 Connecting member, 55 Ice breaker, 551 first hole portion, 552 second hole portion, 553 third hole portion, 555 pressing portion, 55s spring (biasing member), S striker.
Claims
1. A door lock device that is connected to a door closer via a tension member, holds a vehicle door in a closed state, and allows the door to be opened, Housing and a latch rotatably supported by the housing and movable between a full latched position where the door is held in a fully closed position, a half latched position where the door is held so as not to move from a half closed position to an open position, and an unlatched position where the door is allowed to open; a pawl disposed within the housing, the pawl being movable between a restricting position where the pawl engages with the latch to hold the latch at the fully latched position and a non-restricting position where the pawl allows the latch to move from the fully latched position toward the unlatched position; a closing member rotatably supported by the housing and connected to the tension member, the closing member moving the latch from the half-latched position to the full-latched position when the latch is in the half-latched position and the tension member is pulled by the door closer; an ice breaker that is movable between a non-operating position where it is stationary relative to the housing and allows the closing member to rotate and an operating position where it engages with the closing member, and that is in the operating position and moves integrally with the closing member when the tension member is pulled by the door closer, thereby pressing the latch to move from the fully latched position toward the unlatched position; a canceling member that is movable between a retraction allowable position and a retraction cancel position, and that holds the icebreaker in the inoperative position when in the retraction allowable position, and that moves from the retraction allowable position to the retraction cancel position to move the icebreaker from the inoperative position to the operative position; A door lock device comprising:
2. The door lock device according to claim 1, a biasing member supported by the housing and biasing the ice breaker toward the operating position; the closing member and the canceling member are rotatable around a support shaft provided in the housing, the closing member includes a guided portion that protrudes parallel to the support shaft, The icebreaker includes: a first hole portion extending in a predetermined direction and into which the support shaft is inserted so as to be movable between one end corresponding to the inoperative position and the other end corresponding to the operative position; a second hole portion extending along an arc centered on the support shaft located at the one end of the first hole portion and slidably guiding the guided portion of the closing member; and a third hole portion extending from the second hole portion so as to be spaced apart from the first hole portion along the predetermined direction and engageable with the guided portion of the closing member, When the cancellation member is in the retraction allowance position, it restricts the movement of the icebreaker in the specified direction due to the biasing force of the biasing member so that the support shaft is positioned at one end of the first hole portion, and when it moves from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, it allows the movement of the icebreaker in the specified direction due to the biasing force of the biasing member so that the guided portion of the closing member engages with the third hole portion.
3. The door lock device according to claim 2, a half pole that engages with the latch to hold the latch in the half-latched position; The closing member rotatably supports the half pole, and when the pulling member is pulled by the door closer, the closing member presses the half pole so as to move the latch from the half latch position to the full latch position. When the cancel member is in the retraction allowable position, the cancel member allows the latch to engage with the half pole, and slidably guides the half pole pressed by the closing member, and rotates the half pole relative to the closing member so that the half pole is disengaged from the retraction allowable position to the retraction cancel position, and When the cancel member is allowed to engage with the latch, the half pole engages with the icebreaker to hold the icebreaker in the inoperative position against the biasing force of the biasing member, and allows the icebreaker to move due to the biasing force of the biasing member in response to movement of the cancel member from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position, thereby moving the icebreaker to the operative position.
4. The door lock device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, a pole holding member movable between a holding position where the pole is engaged with the pole to hold the pole in the restricted position and a non-holding position where the pole is allowed to move from the restricted position to the non-restricted position; a drive member that moves from a first position to a second position by either a driving force of an actuator or a manual opening operation of the door, thereby moving the pole holding member from the holding position to the non-holding position, and that moves from the first position past the second position to a third position by either a driving force of the actuator or the manual opening operation, thereby moving the pole from the restricting position to the non-restricting position, The canceling member is connected to the driving member via a connecting member, and moves from the retraction allowance position to the retraction cancel position in response to the driving member moving from the first position toward the third position by either the driving force of the actuator or the manual opening operation.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Lock mechanism with icebreaking mechanism
CN214786723U