Vehicle door latch device

Abstract

To provide a door latch device for a vehicle capable of suppressing generation of noise due to a ratchet or a pawl and suppressing uncomfortable feeling given to an occupant.SOLUTION: The vehicular door latch device 1 includes a body 11 mounted on a vehicular door, a latch 9 engaged with a striker S on a vehicle body side when the vehicular door is closed, and a ratchet 10 having a pawl 14 for preventing rotation of the latch 9 in an opening direction by engaging with the latch 9. The ratchet 10 is biased from the operating position toward the standby position, and is located at the standby position when the latch 9 is located at the open position, and is rotated from the standby position to the operating position against the biasing force to release the engagement between the latch 9 and the pawl 14. The ratchet 10 has an elastic part 30. The claw 14 is biased so as to abut on the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30. In the standby position of the ratchet 10, the upper surface 35a of the elastic portion 30 is in contact with the body 11, and the lower surface 35b is in contact with the pawl 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a door latch device for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A known vehicle door latch device has a structure in which a ratchet has a pawl that prevents the latch from rotating in the open direction, so that the door can be opened with a small operating force (for example, Patent Document 1). However, when the ratchet pawl moves to a position where it engages with the latch, the ratchet or pawl may come into contact with the body or the latch, generating noise that may cause discomfort to passengers.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 2 describes a vehicle door latch device in which an extension of the striker bumper reduces or softens the impact of the primary pawl's restraining arm on the auxiliary ratchet, and also describes providing a hollow portion in the auxiliary ratchet to provide an elastically deformable band to absorb the impact when the auxiliary ratchet comes into contact with the ratchet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7443951 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5723388 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the structure described in Patent Document 2 requires multiple locations to absorb shock, resulting in an increase in the number of parts and increased costs. Furthermore, because shocks are absorbed at locations far from the engagement position, errors in the ratchet rotation angle can occur, easily causing backlash between the ratchet and the secondary pawl. Furthermore, if the shock-absorbing band is set too stiff to prevent backlash, the shock-absorbing effect may be weakened, potentially generating noise, creating an issue in terms of noise reduction.

[0006] The present invention provides a vehicle door latch device that can suppress noise caused by a ratchet or a pawl and prevent discomfort to passengers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides a body attached to a vehicle door; a latch that is rotatably supported on the body and that, when the vehicle door is closed, engages with a striker on the vehicle body side, thereby rotating from an open position in a closing direction and moving to a half-latched position and then to a full-latched position; a ratchet that is rotatably supported on the body and has a pawl that prevents the latch from rotating in an open direction by engaging with a half latch engaging portion and a full latch engaging portion provided on the latch, the ratchet is biased from an operating position toward a standby position, is positioned at the standby position when the latch is positioned at the open position, and disengages the latch from the pawl by rotating from the standby position to the operating position against the biasing force; the ratchet has a resilient portion having a first surface and a second surface; The claw is biased to contact the second surface of the elastic portion, the first surface of the elastic portion abuts against the body at the standby position; The second surface of the elastic portion abuts against the claw at the standby position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, noise caused by the ratchet or pawl can be suppressed, and discomfort to the passenger can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle door latch device 1 as seen from inside the vehicle. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of the interior of a vehicle door latch device 1 as seen from inside the vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the meshing assembly 2 as seen from inside the vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the inside of the meshing assembly 2. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram in which the latch 9 is omitted from FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inside of the meshing assembly 2 as seen from the front side. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inside of the meshing assembly 2, with the body 11 omitted, as seen from inside the vehicle. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ratchet 10. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ratchet 10. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a rear view of the inside of the mating assembly 2 when the latch 9 is in the open position. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the striker S has entered when the latch 9 is in the open position. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a rear view of the inside of the engagement assembly 2 when the latch 9 has rotated from the open position to just before the half-latched position. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a rear view of the inside of the mating assembly 2 when the latch 9 is in the half-latched position. FIG. [Figure 16]10 is a rear view of the inside of the engagement assembly 2 when the latch 9 has rotated from the half-latched position to just before the full-latched position. FIG. [Figure 17] 1 is a rear view of the inside of the mating assembly 2 when the latch 9 is in the fully latched position. FIG. [Figure 18] 1 is a rear view of the interior of the engagement assembly 2 when the ratchet 10 is in the operating position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a vehicle door latch device 1 is attached to a door (not shown) that is supported on a vehicle body so as to be able to open and close, and includes an engagement assembly 2 that engages with a striker S (see Figures 13 to 18) on the vehicle body to hold the door in a closed state, and an operation assembly 3 that is disposed on the front side of the engagement assembly 2 and is able to operate the engagement assembly 2.

[0011] The operating assembly 3 has a casing 4 made of synthetic resin that forms the outer shell and is fixed to the front of the body 11 (described below) of the interlocking assembly 2, and a release mechanism 5 that can release the interlocking state of the interlocking assembly 2 is disposed within the casing 4.

[0012] The release mechanism 5 has a mechanical disengagement mechanism 6 that can mechanically release the meshed state of the meshing assembly 2 by manual operation, and an electrical disengagement mechanism 7 that can mechanically release the meshed state by the power of a motor 71.

[0013] The mechanical disengagement mechanism 6 comprises an outside lever 51 supported within the casing 4 by an axis 51a so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle and which is linked to the door opening operation of an outside handle OH (not shown) provided on the exterior side of the door, an inside lever 61 supported within the casing 4 by an axis 61a so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle and which is linked to the door opening operation of an inside handle IH provided on the interior side of the door, and a sub-lever 62 connected to the inside lever 61 and which moves upward when the door is opened.

[0014] The electrical disengagement mechanism 7 is housed within the casing 4 and comprises a motor 71 that is driven based on the operation of a remote control switch carried by the user, a cam gear 72 that is supported by an axis 72a within the casing 4 so that it can move at a predetermined angle and transmits the power of the motor 71, and a drive side lever 73 and a release side lever 74 that are supported by an axis 73a within the casing 4 so that they can rotate at a predetermined angle and are linked to the rotation of the cam gear 72.

[0015] As shown in Figures 3 to 8, the interlocking assembly 2 has a synthetic resin body 11 fixed to the inner surface of the door by multiple fastening members (not shown), a metal cover plate 13 that closes the opening on the rear side of the body 11, a metal back plate 15 fixed to the front side of the body 11, interlocking elements such as a latch 9, a ratchet 10, and a holding lever 17 that are arranged in a storage section formed between the body 11 and the cover plate 13, and a release transmission lever 8 that is arranged on the front side of the back plate 15.

[0016] The body 11 has a storage section that is open at the rear side and is used to place the latch 9, ratchet 10, and hold-down lever 17, and a striker entry groove 11a that is located approximately in the vertical center of the storage section and into which the striker S can enter from the horizontal direction when the door is closed.

[0017] The cover plate 13 is fixed to the body 11 so as to close the housing portion of the body 11 from the rear side, and has a striker entrance notch 13a into which the striker S can enter from the horizontal direction when the door is closed.

[0018] The latch 9 is supported by a shaft 9a facing the front-rear direction in the accommodation portion of the body 11 so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle, and is urged in the open direction (clockwise in FIGS. 4 and 12 to 18) by a spring 26. As the door is closed, the striker S enters the striker entrance groove 11a in the body 11 and the striker entrance notch 13a in the cover plate 13, causing the latch 9 to rotate against the urging force of the spring 26 from the open position shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, which corresponds to the open position of the door, in the close direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 4 and 12 to 18), passing through a half-latched position corresponding to the half-open position of the door shown in FIG. 15, and then to a fully-latched position corresponding to the fully-closed position of the door shown in FIG. 17.

[0019] The latch 9 is provided on its outer periphery with a full latch engagement portion 9b that can engage with a pawl 14 provided on the end of the ratchet 10 when the latch 9 is in the fully latched position shown in Fig. 17, and a half latch engagement portion 9c that can engage with the pawl 14 of the ratchet 10 when the latch 9 is in the half latched position shown in Fig. 15. Furthermore, an engagement groove 9d is provided between the full latch engagement portion 9b and the half latch engagement portion 9c of the latch 9 that can engage with the striker S that enters the striker entrance groove 11a of the body 11 and the striker entrance notch 13a of the cover plate 13 when the door is closed.

[0020] The ratchet 10 is supported by a shaft 10a facing in the front-rear direction within a housing of the body 11 so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle, and is urged in the engagement direction (counterclockwise in FIGS. 4, and 12 to 18) by the urging force of a spring 16 wound around the shaft 10a, and upon release operation of the release transmission lever 8, the ratchet 10 rotates from the standby position shown in FIGS. 4, 12 to 17 in the release direction (clockwise in FIGS. 4, and 12 to 18) against the urging force of the spring 16 to move to the release position shown in FIG. 18. Furthermore, one end of the ratchet 10 is provided with a pawl 14 that can be engaged with each of the full latch engagement portion 9b and half latch engagement portion 9c of the latch 9 so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle around the shaft 14a facing in the front-rear direction, and the other end is provided with a cylindrical abutment portion 10d that protrudes forward.

[0021] 9 and 10, one end of the ratchet 10 has an extension 10e located above the pawl 14 and extending obliquely upward, away from the shaft 10a of the ratchet 10. An elastic portion 30 is inserted into the extension 10e. The elastic portion 30 has a hollow portion 31, and the extension 10e is inserted through the opening of the hollow portion 31 to be supported by the extension 10e. The elastic portion 30 supported by the extension 10e has an upper surface 35a provided above the extension 10e and a lower surface 35b provided below the extension 10e, with the extension 10e sandwiched between them.

[0022] 11, the elastic portion 30 has an inclined surface 32 where at least a part of the edge of the opening on one side, that is, a lower extension, is inclined upward so as to taper toward the hollow portion 31. That is, the inclined surface 32 causes the area of ​​the hollow portion 31 of the elastic portion 30 to become smaller toward the tip. This makes it easier to insert the extension portion 10e into the hollow portion 31 of the elastic portion 30.

[0023] As shown in Figure 5, when the ratchet 10 is in the standby position, the biasing force of the spring 16 causes the upper surface 35a of the elastic portion 30 to abut against the partition wall portion 11b, which extends horizontally below the striker entrance groove 11a of the body 11. Referring also to Figures 10 and 11, the upper surface 35a abutting against the partition wall portion 11b has a curved shape that is convex toward the partition wall portion 11b. That is, the upper surface 35a of the elastic portion 30 has a curved surface 33 that is convex toward the partition wall portion 11b. This prevents the abutting portions of the partition wall portion 11b of the body 11 and the curved surface 33 of the elastic portion 30 from sticking to each other, thereby suppressing the generation of abnormal noise when they separate.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5, the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30 abuts against the pawl 14 in the standby position. Referring also to FIG. 10, the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30 abutting against the pawl 14 has a circular bulge that protrudes toward the pawl 14. That is, the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30 has a bulge 34 that protrudes toward the pawl 14. In this way, the same component (the elastic portion 30) absorbs impacts from the ratchet 10 against the partition wall 11b and from the pawl 14 against the ratchet 10 at the same position. This eliminates errors that may occur due to the location of the impact-absorbing member when the impact-absorbing member is located in a different position. This allows the elastic portion 30 to properly function as both a stopper and a silencer. Furthermore, because the amount of compression of the elastic portion 30 can be adjusted even in a limited space, the position of the pawl 14 is determined, allowing the pawl 14 to reliably engage with the latch 9. The pawl 14 is preferably a two-color molded product made of metal and resin, for example.

[0025] Note that the entire upper surface 35a does not need to be the curved surface 33; only the area that abuts against the partition wall 11b may be the curved surface 33, or the curved surface 33 may be composed of multiple protrusions. However, it is preferable that the curved surface 33 of the elastic portion 30 that can abut against the partition wall 11b of the body 11 is larger than the bulging portion 34 that can abut against the pawl 14. Since the impact when the elastic portion 30 abuts against the body 11 is greater than the impact when the pawl 14 abuts against the elastic portion 30, changing the area according to the magnitude of the impact can effectively disperse the impact. Furthermore, since the ratchet 10 is held in the standby position for a long period of time, by making the curved surface 33 large, the load of the elastic portion 30 abutting against the body 11 is dispersed, allowing the ratchet 10 to be held stably for a long period of time.

[0026] 6, the elastic portion 30 is provided in an area B (hereinafter referred to as offset area B) offset from an engagement area A where the pawl 14 of the ratchet 10 engages with the latch 9, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the axis 10a of the ratchet 10. Therefore, the posture of the pawl 14 and the ratchet 10 can be stabilized.

[0027] Pawl 14 is supported by a shaft 14a at one end thereof, facing the front-rear direction, in a shaft hole 10b (see FIG. 10) provided at the end of ratchet 10 so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle. The other end of pawl 14 is biased by the biasing force of a spring 27 hooked to pawl 14 in an engagement direction (e.g., counterclockwise in FIGS. 4 and 12-18) in which the tip engages with each of full-latch engagement portion 9b and half-latch engagement portion 9c of latch 9. The other end of pawl 14 is kept in contact with bulge 34 on the underside 35b of elastic portion 30 inserted in extension portion 10e by the biasing force of spring 27 except while ratchet 10 is rotating from the open position to the half-latch position and from the half-latch to the full-latch position.

[0028] As a result, when the ratchet 10 is in the standby position, the pawl 14 engages with the full latch engagement portion 9b or half latch engagement portion 9c of the latch 9, thereby holding the latch 9 in the full latch position or half latch position and preventing it from rotating in the open direction. Also, as shown in Figure 18, when the ratchet 10 rotates in the release direction, it disengages from the full latch engagement portion 9b or half latch engagement portion 9c of the latch 9, allowing the latch 9 to rotate in the open direction.

[0029] The hold-down lever 17 is located below the ratchet 10 and is supported in a housing of the body 11 by a shaft 17a facing in the front-to-rear direction so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle. One end of the hold-down lever 17 is hooked to the body 11, and the other end is urged in the hold-down direction (counterclockwise in Figures 4, 12 to 18) by a spring 19 hooked to the body 11. Normally, as shown in Figures 4, 12 to 17, for example, a hold-down portion 17c provided at the upper end abuts against a held portion 10c provided at the bottom of the ratchet 10 from below, thereby preventing the ratchet 10 from rotating from its standby position around the shaft 10a in the release direction (the direction in which the pawl 14 disengages from the full latch engagement portion 9b or half latch engagement portion 9c of the latch 9, for example, clockwise in Figures 4, 12 to 18). In addition, when the holding lever 17 rotates clockwise by a predetermined angle against the biasing force of the spring 19, the holding portion 17c disengages from the held portion 10c of the ratchet 10, allowing the ratchet 10 to rotate in the release direction.

[0030] As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the release transmission lever 8 is provided at the end on the outer side of the vehicle, and has a first abutment portion 81 that can abut against the abutment portion 17b provided at the lower end of the hold-down lever 17 when the release transmission lever 8 itself rotates in the retraction direction from the standby position, a second abutment portion 82 that can abut against the abutment portion 10d of the ratchet 10 from below, a first abutment portion 83 that is abutted from above by the engaged portion 51b of the outside lever 51, a second abutment portion 84 that is abutted from below by the sub-lever 62 connected to the inside lever 61, and a third abutment portion 85 that is abutted from below by the release side lever 74 that is operated by driving the motor 71.

[0031] In response to the release operation of the outside lever 51 or the inside lever 61 based on the door opening operation of the outside handle OH or the inside handle IH, or the release operation of the drive side lever 73 and the release side lever 74 based on the power of the motor 71, the release transmission lever 8 rotates, for example, from the standby position shown in FIG. 7 in the retraction direction (the direction of arrow C in FIG. 7) about the axis 8a by a predetermined angle to the retraction position against the biasing force of the spring 21.

[0032] The release operation of the outside lever 51 is transmitted to the release transmission lever 8 when the engaged portion 51b of the outside lever 51 abuts against the first abutment portion 81 of the release transmission lever 8 from above, as shown in FIG. 7. The release operation of the inside lever 61 is transmitted to the release transmission lever 8 when the engaged portion 62a of the sub-lever 62 abuts against the second abutment portion 84 of the release transmission lever 8 from below, as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, the release operation of the drive-side lever 73 and the release-side lever 74 by the motor 71 is transmitted to the release transmission lever 8 when the engaged portion 74a of the release-side lever 74 abuts against the third abutment portion 85 provided on the end of the release transmission lever 8 from below, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0033] When the release transmission lever 8 rotates in the retraction direction from the standby position, the first abutment portion 81 abuts against the abutted portion 17b of the restraining lever 17, thereby rotating the restraining lever 17 from the blocking position (for example, the position shown in Figures 4, 12 to 17) to the permitting position (the position shown in Figure 18).

[0034] When the release transmitting lever 8 rotates in the retracting direction from the standby position, the second abutment portion 82 abuts against the abutted portion 10d of the ratchet 10 from below, thereby rotating the ratchet 10 in the release direction from the standby position.

[0035] The second abutment portion 82 abuts against the abutted portion 10d of the ratchet 10 after the first abutment portion 81 abuts against the abutted portion 17b of the restraining lever 17, the restraining lever 17 rotates to the permitted position, and the restraining portion 17c completely disengages from the restrained portion 10c of the ratchet 10.

[0036] Next, the operation of the vehicle door latch device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the closing operation of the door will be described. When the door is in the open state, as shown in Figure 12, the latch 9 is in the open position, the ratchet 10 and the pawl 14 are in their respective standby positions, the pressing lever 17 is in the blocking position where the pressing portion 17c abuts against the pressed portion 10c of the ratchet 10, and the release transmitting lever 8 is in the standby position.

[0037] As shown in Figure 5, in which the latch 9 is omitted, when the ratchet 10 is in the standby position, the upper surface 35a of the elastic portion 30 abuts against the partition wall 11b of the body 11, and the pawl 14, which is also in the standby position, abuts against the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30. When the ratchet 10 is in the standby position, the elastic portion is sandwiched between the partition wall 11b of the body 11 and the pawl 14, preventing the elastic portion 30 from coming off the extension portion 10e of the ratchet 10.

[0038] When the door is closed from this state, the striker S first enters the striker entrance groove 11a of the body 11 and the striker entrance notch 13a of the cover plate 13, and as shown in FIG. 13, the striker S engages with the engagement groove 9d of the latch 9. This causes the latch 9 to rotate from the open position in the closing direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 13) around the shaft 9a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, as the latch 9 rotates in the closing direction, the tip of the half-latch engaging portion 9c comes into contact with the upper surface of the pawl 14, forcibly rotating only the pawl 14 in the release direction (clockwise in FIG. 14) against the biasing force of the spring 27, while holding the ratchet 10 in the standby position. As the pawl 14 is forcibly rotated in the release direction, it separates from the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30. At this time, the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30 forms a bulging portion 34 that is convex toward the nail 14, so that the entire surface does not stick to the upper surface of the nail 14, suppressing the generation of abnormal noise when peeling off.

[0039] 15, when the latch 9 reaches the half-latch position, the claw 14 moves in the engagement direction (for example, counterclockwise in FIG. 15) due to the biasing force of the spring 27, and engages with the half-latch engagement portion 9c of the latch 9 at the standby position. When the claw 14 returns to the standby position, the claw 14 abuts against the bulge 34 provided on the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30 located above.

[0040] 16, as the door closes, the latch 9 further rotates in the closing direction, and the tip of the full latch engagement portion 9b of the latch 9 comes into contact with the upper surface of the pawl 14, forcing the pawl 14 to rotate in the release direction again. The forcible rotation of the pawl 14 in the release direction again separates the pawl 14 from the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30. Again, the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30 does not entirely stick to the upper surface of the pawl 14, suppressing the generation of abnormal noise when the pawl 14 peels off.

[0041] 17, when the latch 9 reaches the fully latched position corresponding to the fully closed position of the door, the pawl 14 moves in the engagement direction (for example, counterclockwise in FIG. 17) due to the biasing force of the spring 27 and engages with the full latch engaging portion 9b of the latch 9 at the standby position, thereby holding the door in the fully closed position. When the pawl 14 returns to the standby position, the pawl 14 again abuts against the bulge 34 provided on the lower surface 35b of the elastic portion 30 located above.

[0042] When the pawl 14 is securely engaged with the full latch engagement portion 9b to the correct position, the holding portion 17c of the holding lever 17 abuts against the held portion 10c of the ratchet 10, preventing the ratchet 10 from rotating in the release direction.

[0043] As described above, when the latch 9 rotates in the closing direction, the vehicle door latch device 1 rotates only the pawl 14, which is a relatively small element, in the release direction without rotating the entire ratchet 10, which is a relatively large element, in the release direction in response to the rotation of the latch 9 in the closing direction, thereby achieving quieter door closing sounds and producing a satisfactory door closing sound. In particular, the elastic portion 30 is inserted into the extension portion 10e of the ratchet 10, and the bulge 34 formed on the underside 35b of the elastic portion 30 abuts against the pawl 14, thereby suppressing the generation of abnormal noise when the door is closed.

[0044] Furthermore, when the latch 9 is in the full latch position and the pawl 14 provided on the ratchet 10 is engaged with the full latch engagement portion 9b of the latch 9, the holding portion 17c of the holding lever 17 abuts against the held portion 10c of the ratchet 10, preventing the ratchet 10 from rotating in the release direction, thereby ensuring the engagement of the pawl 14 with the full latch engagement portion 9b.

[0045] Next, the door opening operation will be described. When the door is held in a fully closed state, as shown in FIG. 17, the latch 9 is in the full latch position, the ratchet 10 is in the standby position, the pawl 14 is in the standby position and engages with the full latch engaging portion 9b of the latch 9, and the holding lever 17 is in a blocking position with the holding portion 17c abutting against the held portion 10c of the ratchet 10.

[0046] In this state, when the outside handle OH or the inside handle IH is operated to open the door, or when the motor 71 is released based on the release operation of the remote control switch, the release transmitting lever 8 rotates a predetermined angle in the retraction direction from the standby position. As this rotation occurs, the first abutment portion 81 of the release transmitting lever 8 first abuts against the abutted portion 17b of the restraining lever 17, causing the restraining lever 17 to rotate in the permitting direction (clockwise in FIG. 17) from the blocking position, and moves the restraining portion 17c in a direction away from the restrained portion 10c of the ratchet 10.

[0047] Next, after the pressing portion 17c of the pressing lever 17 is completely released from the pressed portion 10c of the ratchet 10, the second abutment portion 82 of the release transmission lever 8 abuts against the abutted portion 10d of the ratchet 10 from below, as shown in Figure 8, causing the ratchet 10 to rotate from the standby position in the release direction and disengaging the pawl 14 from the full latch engagement portion 9b of the latch 9.

[0048] By rotating the ratchet 10 in the release direction from the standby position, the upper surface 35a of the elastic part 30 moves away from the partition wall 11b. At this time, the upper surface 35a of the elastic part 30 forms a curved surface 33 that is convex toward the partition wall 11b, so that the entire surface does not stick to the partition wall 11b of the body 11, suppressing the generation of abnormal noise when peeling off.

[0049] This allows the latch 9 to rotate from the fully latched position in the open direction, and the reaction force of the weatherstrip installed around the periphery of the door opening pushes the door in the open direction, causing the latch 9 to rotate to the open position and the striker S to come out of the engagement groove 9d of the latch 9, thereby allowing the door to be opened.

[0050] After the door is opened, the ratchet 10 returns to the standby position by the biasing force of the spring 16 when the door opening operation of the outside handle OH or the inside handle IH is stopped or when the motor is stopped. As the ratchet 10 rotates to the standby position, the curved surface 33 formed on the upper surface 35a of the elastic portion 30 again abuts against the partition wall portion 11b of the body 11. Because the curved surface 33 of the elastic portion 30 is larger than the bulge portion 34 that can abut against the pawl 14, the impact caused by the ratchet 10 returning to the standby position can be effectively absorbed.

[0051] The pressing lever 17 is rotated to the blocking position by the biasing force of the spring 19, and the release transmitting lever 8 is rotated to the standby position by the biasing force of the spring 21, resulting in the open state shown in FIG.

[0052] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that such modifications also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention may be applied to a back door or a side door. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0053] This specification describes at least the following items. Note that the components in parentheses correspond to those in the above-described embodiment, but are not limited to these.

[0054] (1) a body (body 11) attached to a vehicle door; a latch (latch 9) that is pivotally supported on the body and that, when the vehicle door is closed, engages with a striker (striker S) on the vehicle body side, thereby rotating from an open position in a closing direction and moving to a half-latched position and then to a full-latched position; a ratchet (ratchet 10) that is rotatably supported on the body and has a pawl (pawl 14) that prevents the latch from rotating in an open direction by engaging with each of a half latch engagement portion (half latch engagement portion 9c) and a full latch engagement portion (full latch engagement portion 9b) provided on the latch, the ratchet is biased from an operating position toward a standby position, is positioned at the standby position when the latch is positioned at the open position, and disengages the latch from the pawl by rotating from the standby position to the operating position against the biasing force; The ratchet has an elastic portion (elastic portion 30) having a first surface (upper surface 35a) and a second surface (lower surface 35b), The claw is biased to contact the second surface of the elastic portion, the first surface of the elastic portion abuts against the body at the standby position; The second surface of the elastic portion abuts against the claw at the standby position. A vehicle door latch device.

[0055] According to (1), the elastic portion abuts against both the body and the pawl in the standby position, absorbing impact at the same position relative to the ratchet shaft. Therefore, compared to absorbing impact at different locations, there is no error that would occur due to different shock absorption locations. This allows the elastic portion to properly function as both a stopper and a silencer. This reduces noise generated by the ratchet and pawl, minimizing discomfort to the occupants.

[0056] (2) A vehicle door latch device according to (1), The ratchet has an extension (extension 10e) extending in a direction away from the shaft (shaft 10a) of the ratchet, The elastic portion has a hollow portion (hollow portion 31), and the extension portion is inserted through an opening of the hollow portion to be supported by the extension portion. The first surface of the elastic portion is provided on one side (upper side) of the extension portion, The second surface of the elastic portion is provided on the other side (below) of the extension portion. A vehicle door latch device.

[0057] According to (2), the elastic portion can be easily assembled to the ratchet, reducing manufacturing costs. In addition, since the elastic portion is sandwiched between the body and the pawl in the standby position, the elastic portion can be prevented from coming off the extension portion.

[0058] (3) The vehicle door latch device according to (2), The elastic portion has an inclined surface (inclined surface 32) in which at least a part of the edge of the opening is inclined so as to taper toward the hollow portion. A vehicle door latch device.

[0059] According to (3), the extension portion can be easily inserted into the hollow portion of the elastic portion, which further reduces the manufacturing cost.

[0060] (4) A vehicle door latch device according to (1), a contact area provided on the first surface of the elastic portion and capable of contacting the body is larger than a contact area provided on the second surface of the elastic portion and capable of contacting the claw; A vehicle door latch device.

[0061] According to (4), the impact when the elastic part comes into contact with the body is greater than the impact when the claw comes into contact with the elastic part, so the impact can be effectively dispersed by changing the area according to the magnitude of the impact.

[0062] (5) A vehicle door latch device according to (4), The contact areas of the first surface and the second surface of the elastic portion have a curved shape when viewed in the axial direction of the ratchet. A vehicle door latch device.

[0063] According to (5), the curved contact area of ​​the elastic part prevents the contact parts from sticking together, which reduces noise. In addition, the amount of compression of the elastic part can be adjusted even in a small space, so the position of the claws can be determined and they can be more reliably engaged.

[0064] (6) A vehicle door latch device according to (1), When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the shaft of the ratchet, the elastic portion is provided in an offset region (offset region B) from an engagement region (engagement region A) where the pawl of the ratchet and the latch engage with each other. A vehicle door latch device.

[0065] According to (6), the posture of the pawl and ratchet can be stabilized. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Vehicle door latch device 9 Latch 9b Full latch engagement part 9c Half latch engagement part 10 Ratchet 10e extension part 11 Body 14 Claws 30 Elastic part 31 Hollow part 32 Slope 35a Top surface (first surface) 35b Bottom surface (2nd surface) A Engagement area B Offset area S Striker

Claims

1. a body attached to a vehicle door; a latch that is rotatably supported on the body and that, when the vehicle door is closed, engages with a striker on the vehicle body side, thereby rotating from an open position in a closing direction and moving to a half-latched position and then to a full-latched position; a ratchet that is rotatably supported on the body and has a pawl that prevents the latch from rotating in an open direction by engaging with a half latch engaging portion and a full latch engaging portion provided on the latch, the ratchet is biased from an operating position toward a standby position, is positioned at the standby position when the latch is positioned at the open position, and disengages the latch from the pawl by rotating from the standby position to the operating position against the biasing force; the ratchet has a resilient portion having a first surface and a second surface; The claw is biased to contact the second surface of the elastic portion, the first surface of the elastic portion abuts against the body at the standby position; The second surface of the elastic portion abuts against the claw at the standby position. A vehicle door latch device.

2. 2. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, the ratchet has an extension extending in a direction away from a shaft of the ratchet; the elastic portion has a hollow portion, and the extension portion is inserted through an opening of the hollow portion to be supported by the extension portion; the first surface of the elastic portion is provided on one side of the extension portion, The second surface of the elastic portion is provided on the other side of the extension portion. A vehicle door latch device.

3. 3. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 2, The elastic portion has an inclined surface in which at least a part of the edge of the opening is inclined so as to taper toward the hollow portion. A vehicle door latch device.

4. 2. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, a contact area provided on the first surface of the elastic portion and capable of contacting the body is larger than a contact area provided on the second surface of the elastic portion and capable of contacting the claw; A vehicle door latch device.

5. 5. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 4, the contact areas of the first surface and the second surface of the elastic portion have a curved shape when viewed in the axial direction of the ratchet; A vehicle door latch device.

6. 2. The vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the shaft of the ratchet, the elastic portion is provided in an area offset from an engagement area where the pawl of the ratchet and the latch engage with each other. A vehicle door latch device.

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