Vehicle door retaining device

Abstract

To provide a technique effective for simplifying a structure of a holding device for vehicle door.SOLUTION: A holding device 10 for vehicle door comprises a rotary drum 20, a first gear 22 and a lock switching mechanism 30. The lock switching mechanism 30 comprises a rotary gear 41, a ratchet 51, a lock link 43 and a torque limiter 45 as a torque transmission switching part. The holding device holds the ratchet 51 at an unlock position R1 by blocking a torque transmitted to the lock link 43 from the rotary gear 41 in the door opening operation by the torque limiter 45, rotates the ratchet 51 to a lock position R2 to turn the rotary drum 20 into the lock state by transmitting the torque to the lock link 43 from the rotary gear 41 by the torque limiter 45 in the door holding operation, and permits the movement only in the door closing direction in the lock state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, in vehicles such as minivans, there may be a situation where there is not enough space at the rear of the vehicle to fully open the back door, or where the user has difficulty reaching the back door when it is in the fully open position, etc. In order to deal with such a situation, a technology is desired that allows the user to hold the back door at any intermediate position between the fully open position and the fully closed position.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a holding device related to this type of technology. This holding device generally includes a rotating drum for winding up a cable, a cable having one end engaged with the rotating drum and the other end engaged with a back door, a spiral spring that biases the rotating drum in the cable winding direction, and a rotation control mechanism that controls the rotation of the rotating drum.

[0004] According to this holding device, the rotation control mechanism is set to a one-way rotation state by closing the back door to some extent at any intermediate position between the fully open position and the fully closed position. This restricts the rotation of the rotating drum in the cable unwinding direction, allowing the user to hold the back door at the intermediate position. In addition, by closing the back door from the intermediate position to the fully closed position, the rotation control mechanism switches from the one-way rotation state to a restricted state. This allows the user to open the back door from the fully closed position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-46280 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the holding device having the above configuration, the rotation control mechanism includes a first ratchet wheel for holding the opening degree, a first ratchet pawl that can mesh with the ratchet teeth of the first ratchet wheel, a second ratchet wheel for the lock starting mechanism, and a second ratchet pawl that can mesh with the ratchet teeth of the second ratchet wheel. This rotation control mechanism requires the use of two ratchet wheels and two ratchet pawls, which causes a problem of a complicated structure.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technique that is effective in simplifying the structure of a vehicle door holding device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is A vehicle door holding device that holds a vehicle door at an intermediate position between a fully closed position and a fully open position, a rotating drum rotatably provided on one of the vehicle door and the vehicle body and connected to the other of the vehicle door and the vehicle body via a cable member; A gear provided on the rotating drum and having engaging teeth on its outer periphery; a lock switching mechanism that switches the rotating drum between a locked state in which the rotation of the rotating drum is locked and an unlocked state in which the lock on the rotation of the rotating drum is released; Equipped with The lock switching mechanism includes a rotary gear that rotates in conjunction with the gear, a ratchet that can rotate between an unlocked position at which the gear is released from meshing with the engagement teeth and a locked position at which the gear is meshed with the engagement teeth, a lock link that operates to rotate the ratchet from the unlocked position to the locked position, and a torque transmission switching unit that can transmit and interrupt torque from the rotary gear to the lock link, The lock switching mechanism is configured to hold the ratchet at the unlocked position by interrupting the torque transmitted from the rotating gear to the lock link by the torque transmission switching unit during a door opening operation for opening the vehicle door from the fully closed position toward the intermediate position, and to rotate the ratchet to the locked position by transmitting torque from the rotating gear to the lock link by the torque transmission switching unit during a door holding operation for temporarily closing the vehicle door from the intermediate position toward the fully closed position, thereby bringing the rotating drum into a locked state, and to allow movement only in the door closing direction in this locked state. And, The lock switching mechanism has a cancel lever that rotates the ratchet from the locked position to the unlocked position during a door closing operation to close the vehicle door to the fully closed position, the rotating gear is provided with a cancel portion that can be engaged with the cancel lever, and the ratchet is provided with an engagement portion that can be engaged with the cancel lever. , a vehicle door retaining device, is located. Effect of the Invention

[0009] In the vehicle door retaining device of the above aspect, the lock switching mechanism has a function of switching the rotating drum between a locked state and an unlocked state. This lock switching mechanism has a rotating gear that rotates in conjunction with a gear provided on the rotating drum, a ratchet that rotates to be able to mesh with an engagement tooth of the gear, a lock link that rotates the ratchet toward a locked position where it meshes with the engagement tooth of the gear, and a torque transmission switching unit that transmits and cuts off torque from the rotating gear to the lock link.

[0010] According to the lock switching mechanism, when a user opens the vehicle door from the fully closed position to the intermediate position, the torque transmitted from the rotating gear to the lock link is interrupted by the torque transmission switching unit, and the lock link is prevented from operating, so that the ratchet is held in the unlocked position. Therefore, the rotating drum can be maintained in the unlocked state, and the user can continue to perform the door opening operation of the vehicle door. Also, when it is desired to hold the vehicle door at any intermediate position between the fully closed position and the fully open position, the vehicle door is operated to be temporarily closed from the intermediate position. As a result, torque is transmitted from the rotating gear to the lock link by the torque transmission switching unit, and the lock link is activated, so that the ratchet rotates toward the locked position. Therefore, the rotating drum can be switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, and the user can temporarily hold the vehicle door at any intermediate position. And, in the locked state of the rotating drum, the movement of the vehicle door is permitted only in the door closing direction, so that the door opening operation of moving the vehicle door in the reverse direction is prevented.

[0011] According to the lock switching mechanism having the above configuration, the rotary gear, the lock link, and the torque transmission switching unit are used as a trigger for rotating the ratchet during the door holding operation of the vehicle door. Therefore, in a vehicle door holding device that temporarily holds the vehicle door at any intermediate position and allows movement only in the door closing direction after holding the door, it is not necessary to use multiple ratchets or multiple rotary gears, and the number of parts can be reduced to prevent the structure from becoming complicated.

[0012] As described above, according to the above-mentioned aspect, the structure of the vehicle door holding device can be simplified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the rear part of the vehicle body as viewed from the side, showing a state in which the back door according to the first embodiment is in an arbitrary intermediate position. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle door holding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2 . [Figure 4] 2 is a side view showing a state in which the back door in FIG. 1 is opened from a fully closed position to a fully open position. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle door holding device in FIG. 4, corresponding to FIG. 3; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the back door in FIG. 1 is being held during a door holding operation. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle door holding device in FIG. 6, corresponding to FIG. 3; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the back door in FIG. 1 is stopped halfway. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle door holding device in FIG. 8, corresponding to FIG. 3; [Figure 10] 2 is a side view showing a state in which the back door in FIG. 1 is closed from an intermediate position to a fully closed position. [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle door holding device in FIG. 10, corresponding to FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the above aspects are described below.

[0015] In the vehicle door holding device, the lock switching mechanism preferably has a stopper that engages the lock link when the vehicle door is opened.

[0016] According to this retaining device, when the vehicle door is opened, the lock link is locked by the stopper, preventing the lock link from operating. This puts the torque transmission switching unit into an overload state, blocking the torque transmitted from the rotating gear to the lock link, and allowing the rotating gear to rotate independently of the lock link. Therefore, the torque transmission switching unit can be put into an overload state by utilizing a simple structure in which the stopper locks the lock link.

[0017] In the above vehicle door holding device, it is preferable that the lock switching mechanism has a cancel lever that rotates the ratchet from the locked position to the unlocked position during a door closing operation to close the vehicle door to the fully closed position.

[0018] According to this holding device, the ratchet can be rotated from the locked position to the unlocked position by the cancel lever during the door closing operation to close the vehicle door to the fully closed position, and the rotating drum can be put into the unlocked state. Therefore, when the vehicle door is in the fully closed position, it is possible to prevent the door opening operation to reopen the vehicle door from being blocked because the rotating drum remains locked.

[0019] In the vehicle door holding device, it is preferable that the rotating gear is provided with a cancel portion engageable with the cancel lever, and the ratchet is provided with an engagement portion engageable with the cancel lever.

[0020] According to this holding device, the cancel lever engages with the cancel portion as the rotating gear rotates, and then engages with the engagement portion of the ratchet, making it possible to rotate the ratchet from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0021] Hereinafter, a more specific embodiment of a vehicle door retaining device that is attached between a vehicle body and a back door at the rear of the vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] In the drawings for this explanation, unless otherwise specified, the arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle and the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle. Also, the first direction corresponding to the vehicle width direction is indicated by the arrow X, the second direction corresponding to the vehicle length direction is indicated by the arrow Y, and the third direction corresponding to the vehicle height direction is indicated by the arrow Z.

[0023] (Embodiment 1) As shown in FIG. 1, a rear portion 2 of a vehicle body 1 is provided with a back door 6 as a vehicle door, and a vehicle door holding device (hereinafter also simply referred to as a "holding device") 10 of the first embodiment.

[0024] The back door 6 is a flip-up type vehicle door that can be rotated via a rotation shaft 7 from a fully closed position P1 through an intermediate position (also called a "half-open position") P3 to a fully open position P2. The rotation of the back door 6 allows the luggage room 4 behind the last row of seats 3 to be opened or closed. The luggage room 4 is partitioned at its rear by the back door 6, and on both sides by left and right pillar trims 5.

[0025] The right and left ends of the back door 6 are connected to the rear part 2 of the vehicle body 1 by known hydraulic damper stays 8. Therefore, the damper stays 8 assist the user in opening and closing the back door 6. For example, when the user releases the back door 6 at the intermediate position P3, the damper stays 8 can prevent the back door 6 from moving toward the fully closed position P1 due to its own weight. In addition, the damper stay 8 can reduce the force required by the user to flip up the back door 6 from the intermediate position P3 toward the fully open position P2.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the holding device 10 is attached to a vehicle body 1. The holding device 10 has a function of holding the back door 6 via a cable member 25 at any intermediate position P3 between a fully closed position P1 and a fully open position P2. The cable member 25 is configured as a wire rope made by combining a plurality of metal wires. If necessary, the wire rope can be changed to a member such as a belt or a tape measure. The holding device 10 may be directly fixed to a frame part of the vehicle body 1, or may be indirectly fixed to a frame part of the vehicle body 1 via an interior material.

[0027] (Structure of holding device) 2 and 3, the retaining device 10 includes a case 10a fixed to the vehicle body 1 and a cover 10b (see FIG. 3) that closes the opening of the case 10a. A plurality of components including a rotating drum 20 and a lock switching mechanism 30 are housed in the case 10a.

[0028] (Rotating drum structure) 2, the rotating drum 20 is configured as a rotating body that can rotate in a first rotation direction A1 or a second rotation direction A2 around a shaft portion 20a that is provided on the case 10a so as to extend in the first direction X. The rotating drum 20 is connected to the back door 6 by a cable member 25 that can be wound up and unwound. The rotating drum 20 has a reel portion 21, a first gear 22, and a second gear 23 that are all coaxial and integrated. Therefore, the reel portion 21 of the rotating drum 20 rotates integrally with the first gear 22 and the second gear 23.

[0029] The reel portion 21 has a winding surface for the cable member 25 on its outer periphery in the rotation directions A1 and A2, and is a portion at which the cable member 25 can be wound and unwound by the rotating drum 20 rotating about the shaft portion 20a. With respect to this reel portion 21, the first rotation direction A1 is the unwinding direction of the cable member 25, and the second rotation direction A2 is the winding direction of the cable member 25. This reel portion 21 is constantly elastically biased by the spring member 24 in the second rotation direction A2, which is the winding direction of the cable member 25.

[0030] The first gear 22 is a ratchet gear provided corresponding to the ratchet 51 of the latch mechanism 50, and the first gear 22 is provided with a plurality of engagement teeth 22a over its entire circumference. Each of the plurality of engagement teeth 22a has an inclined shape extending in a direction inclined with respect to a virtual line in the radial direction. For convenience, some of the engagement teeth 22a are omitted from FIG. 2.

[0031] A plurality of engagement teeth 23a are provided around the entire circumference of the second gear 23. For convenience, some of the engagement teeth 23a are omitted from illustration in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, the second gear 23 has a smaller diameter than the first gear 22.

[0032] (Structure of lock switching mechanism) 2, the lock switching mechanism 30 includes a trigger mechanism 40 and a latch mechanism 50. The lock switching mechanism 30 functions to switch the rotating drum 20 between a locked state in which the rotation of the rotating drum 20 is locked, and an unlocked state in which the lock on the rotation of the rotating drum 20 is released.

[0033] (Structure of the trigger mechanism) The trigger mechanism 40 is configured to transmit the torque generated when the rotating drum 20 rotates to the latch mechanism 50, thereby serving as a trigger that operates the latch mechanism 50 so as to lock the rotating drum 20. The trigger mechanism 40 includes a rotating gear 41, a lock link 43, and a torque limiter 45.

[0034] The rotating gear 41 is configured as a rotating body that can rotate in a first rotation direction B1 or a second rotation direction B2 around a shaft portion 41a. For this rotating gear 41, the first rotation direction B1 is the unwinding direction of the cable member 25, and the second rotation direction B2 is the winding direction of the cable member 25. The shaft portion 41a of the rotating gear 41 extends in the first direction X from the case 10a (see FIG. 3).

[0035] The rotating gear 41 is provided with a plurality of engagement teeth 41b around its entire circumference. For convenience, some of the engagement teeth 41b are omitted from FIG. 2. The plurality of engagement teeth 41b mesh with a plurality of engagement teeth 23a of the second gear 23 of the rotating drum 20. Therefore, when the second gear 23 is used as a driving gear, the rotating gear 41 serves as a driven gear that is driven by the second gear 23. Therefore, the rotating gear 41 rotates in conjunction with the first gear 22 that rotates integrally with the rotating drum 20 when the rotating drum 20 rotates.

[0036] The rotating gear 41 is provided with a cancel pin 42 as a cancel portion extending from one surface in the first direction X. The circumferential position of the cancel pin 42 changes with the rotation of the rotating gear 41, and is thereby capable of engaging with a cancel lever 57 described below.

[0037] The lock link 43 is for setting the rotating drum 20 in a locked state, and operates to rotate a ratchet 51, which will be described later, from an unlocked position to a locked position. The lock link 43 has a shaft portion 45a concentric with a shaft portion 41a of the rotating gear 41, and is configured as a link member that is rotatable about the shaft portion 45a in a first rotation direction B1 or a second rotation direction B2. The lock link 43 has an extension extending from the shaft portion 45a radially outward of the rotating gear 41, and is provided with an engagement pin 44 at its extending tip. The lock link 43 is also connected to the rotating gear 41 via a torque limiter 45.

[0038] The torque limiter 45 is configured as a torque transmission switching unit capable of transmitting and blocking torque from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43. According to this torque limiter 45, torque is transmitted from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43 in a low load state, whereas the torque transmitted from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43 is blocked in an overload state. That is, when the torque acting on the rotating gear 41 in the first rotation direction B1 or the second rotation direction B2 falls below a reference value, the rotating gear 41 and the lock link 43 rotate together. In contrast, when the torque exceeds the reference value, the rotating gear 41 and the lock link 43 enter a state in which they can rotate relative to each other according to the function of the torque limiter 45.

[0039] The structure of the torque limiter 45 is not particularly limited, but as an example, a rotary oil damper of known structure having a rotor as a rotating body and a stator in which the rotor is housed so as to be rotatable via oil can be used. For the specific structure of this oil damper, reference can be made to the structure of the rotary oil damper disclosed in JP 2001-234962 A, for example.

[0040] As another example of the structure of torque limiter 45 instead of the above-mentioned rotary oil damper, it is possible to appropriately use known overload protection structures such as a spring type structure using a coil spring, a structure in which a ball member interposed between the first gear and the second gear disengages in the event of an overload, or a structure in which the first gear and the second gear are separated in the event of an overload by controlling an electromagnetic clutch.

[0041] The lock link 43 is prevented from rotating in the second rotation direction B2 by a stopper 10c. The stopper 10c extends from the cover 10b in the first direction X (see FIG. 3).

[0042] (Latch mechanism structure) 2, the latch mechanism 50 has a function of setting either a locked state that locks the rotation of the rotating drum 20, or an unlocked state that allows the rotation of the rotating drum 20. The latch mechanism 50 includes a ratchet 51, a torsion spring 56 connected to the ratchet 51, and a cancel lever 57.

[0043] The ratchet 51 is provided adjacent to a position facing the rotating drum 20 in the second direction Y. The ratchet 51 is configured to be rotatable about a shaft 51a in a locking direction C1 or an unlocking direction C2 between an unlocked position (a position corresponding to an "unlocked position R1" described later) and a locked position where the ratchet 51 meshes with the engagement teeth 22a (a position corresponding to a "locked position R2" described later). The shaft 51a of the ratchet 51 extends from the case 10a in the first direction X (see FIG. 3).

[0044] The ratchet 51 includes a locking pawl 52, a first engagement arm 53, and a second engagement arm .

[0045] The locking pawl 52 is provided on the ratchet 51 so as to be able to engage with a plurality of engagement teeth 22a of the first gear 22 of the rotating drum 20. When the locking pawl 52 engages with the engagement teeth 22a, the rotating drum 20 is locked against rotation, resulting in a locked state. On the other hand, when the locking pawl 52 does not engage with the engagement teeth 22a, the rotating drum 20 is unlocked against rotation, resulting in an unlocked state.

[0046] The locking claw 52 is configured to be elastically biased in either the locking direction C1 or the unlocking direction C2 by the torsion spring 56. At this time, the direction of the elastic bias that the locking claw 52 receives from the torsion spring 56 is switched depending on the positional relationship between the other end 56b of the torsion spring 56 and an imaginary line L extending in the third direction Z.

[0047] Here, the torsion spring 56 is a spring member having one end 56a attached to the case 10a and the other end 56b attached to the locking claw 52. When the one end 56a of the torsion spring 56 is set as a fixed point, a line linearly connecting the one end 56a, which is the fixed point, and the shaft portion 51a of the ratchet 51 becomes an imaginary line L.

[0048] The ratchet 51 is disposed in the intermediate position when one end 56a of the torsion spring 56 is on the imaginary line L. When the other end 56b of the torsion spring 56 is in a lock region D2 on the right side of the imaginary line L in FIG. 2, the locking claw 52 of the ratchet 51 receives an elastic load in the lock direction C1 from the torsion spring 46. As a result, the locking claw 52 engages with the engagement tooth 22a and the rotating drum 20 is in a locked state. On the other hand, when the other end 56b of the torsion spring 56 is in an unlock region D1 on the left side of the imaginary line L in FIG. 2, the locking claw 52 of the ratchet 51 receives an elastic load in the unlock direction C2 from the torsion spring 56. As a result, the locking claw 52 does not engage with the engagement tooth 22a and the rotating drum 20 is in an unlocked state.

[0049] The first engagement arm 53 of the ratchet 51 is configured to be able to engage with the engagement pin 44 of the lock link 43. When the lock link 43 rotates about the shaft portion 45a in the first rotation direction B2 and the engagement pin 44 of the lock link 43 engages with the first engagement arm 53, the ratchet 51 can be rotated in the locking direction C1 about the shaft portion 51a.

[0050] The second engagement arm 54 of the ratchet 51 is provided with an engagement pin 55 that is an engagement portion that can engage with a cancel lever 57 described below. When the cancel lever 57 engages with the engagement pin 55 of the second engagement arm 54, the ratchet 51 can be rotated in the unlocking direction C2 around the shaft portion 51a. Therefore, the cancel lever 57 has the function of rotating the ratchet 51 from a locking position R2 described below toward an unlocking position R1 during a door closing operation that closes the back door 6 to a fully closed position P1.

[0051] In this manner, both the first engagement arm 53 and the second engagement arm 54 are utilized to drive the ratchet 51. At this time, both the lock link 43 and the cancel lever 57 serve as triggers for driving the ratchet 51.

[0052] 2, the cancel lever 57 is provided between the lock link 43 and the ratchet 51 in the third direction Z. The cancel lever 57 has a first engagement arm 58 and a second engagement arm 59, and is configured to be rotatable about a shaft portion 57a. The shaft portion 57a ​​of the cancel lever 57 extends from the case 10a in the first direction X (see FIG. 3).

[0053] The first engagement arm 58 is configured to be able to engage with the engagement pin 55 provided on the second engagement arm 54 of the ratchet 51 when the cancel lever 57 rotates clockwise in Fig. 2 around the shaft portion 57a. The clockwise rotation of the first engagement arm 58 at this time is caused by the second engagement arm 59 of the cancel lever 57 receiving a pressing load from the cancel pin 42 provided on the rotating gear 41 when the rotating gear 41 rotates in the first rotational direction B2.

[0054] Note that, although Figures 2 and 3 show the specific shapes and positional relationships of the multiple elements that make up the holding device 10, the shapes and positional relationships of these multiple elements are merely illustrative and can be changed appropriately as necessary.

[0055] Next, the operation of the holding device 10 configured as described above when the back door 6 is opened or closed will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 to 11. FIG.

[0056] (Door opening operation) 4 shows a state in which a user grasps the back door 6 with his / her fingers and opens it from the fully closed position P1 to the intermediate position P3 (see FIG. 1). At this time, the opening operation of the back door 6 is assisted by the damper stay 8, and the cable member 25 is pulled out from the rotating drum 20 of the holding device 10 in response to the movement of the back door 6.

[0057] 5, in response to the operation of opening the back door 6, the rotating drum 20 of the holding device 10 rotates in a first rotation direction A1 about the shaft portion 20a while unwinding the cable member 25 against the elastic force of the spring member 24. In addition, in response to the movement of the rotating drum 20 at this time, the rotating gear 41 rotates in a first rotation direction B1 about the shaft portion 41a.

[0058] At this time, the lock link 43 tries to rotate integrally with the rotating gear 41, but the rotation is prevented by engaging with the stopper 10c and the lock link 43 is stopped. That is, the stopper 10c engages with the lock link 43 as the rotating gear 41 rotates during the door opening operation of the back door 6, thereby preventing the lock link 43 from operating. Then, since the rotating gear 41 tries to rotate in the first rotation direction B1 relative to the stopped lock link 43 and an overload state occurs, the transmission of torque from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43 is blocked by the torque limiter 45. As a result, the interlocking between the lock link 43 and the rotating drum 20 is released.

[0059] In this way, during a door-opening operation to open the back door 6 from the fully closed position P1 toward the intermediate position P3, the torque limiter 45 blocks the torque transmitted from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43, preventing the lock link 43 from operating, thereby holding the ratchet 51 in the unlocked position. As a result, the user is permitted to continue the door-opening operation to open the back door 6 to any intermediate position P3.

[0060] (Door holding operation) 6 shows a state in which a user performs a door holding operation to stop the movement of the back door 6 in the middle of the door opening operation of the back door 6. When performing this door holding operation, the user first temporarily stops the door opening operation of the back door 6 at any intermediate position P3. Then, the user performs a door closing operation to push the back door 6 back toward intermediate position P3', which is a position slightly moved toward the door closing side from intermediate position P3, against the assist force of the damper stay 8. At this time, the cable member 25 is slightly pulled back from the rotating drum 20 of the holding device 10 in accordance with the movement of the back door 6.

[0061] 7, in conjunction with the closing operation of the back door 6, the rotating drum 20 of the holding device 10 rotates in a second rotation direction A2 about the shaft portion 20a while rewinding the cable member 25 according to the elastic biasing force of the spring member 24. In addition, in conjunction with the movement of the rotating drum 20 at this time, the rotating gear 41 rotates in a second rotation direction B2 about the shaft portion 41a.

[0062] Since the lock link 43 rotates integrally with the rotating gear 41 in the second rotational direction B2, the engagement with the stopper 10c is released. Therefore, the transmission of torque from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43 is not blocked by the torque limiter 45. At this time, the lock link 43 rotates from the first position Q1 (see the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7) to the second position Q2 (see the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 7) in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating gear 41 in the second rotational direction B2.

[0063] The first engagement arm 53 of the ratchet 51 engages with the engagement pin 44 of the lock link 43 at the first position P1. The first engagement arm 53 is pressed against the elastic biasing force of the torsion spring 56 as the lock link 43 rotates from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2. Therefore, in conjunction with the rotation of the lock link 43 from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2, the ratchet 51 rotates in the locking direction C1 about the shaft portion 51a from the unlocked position R1 (see the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7) to the locked position R2 (see the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 7).

[0064] In this way, during a door holding operation for temporarily closing the back door 6 from the intermediate position P3 toward the fully closed position P1, the torque limiter 45 transmits torque from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43, thereby allowing the ratchet 51 to rotate toward the lock position R2, which is the lock position.

[0065] When the ratchet 51 rotates in the locking direction C1 toward the locked position R2, the other end 56b of the torsion spring 56 moves from the unlocked region D1 (see FIG. 2) across the imaginary line L to reach the locked region D2 (see FIG. 2), and receives an elastic biasing force in the locking direction C1 from the torsion spring 56. Therefore, the ratchet 51 quickly rotates to the locked position R2 where the locking claw 52 engages with the engagement tooth 22a. As a result, the rotating drum 20 is locked, and the user can temporarily hold the back door 6 at the intermediate position P3' by utilizing a simple operation of moving the back door 6 from the intermediate position P3 to the intermediate position P3' with one push.

[0066] From the above, the first position Q1 of the lock link 43 and the unlocked position R1 of the ratchet 51 are both positions for unlocking the rotating drum 20. In contrast, the second position Q2 of the lock link 43 and the locked position R2 of the ratchet 51 are both positions for locking the rotating drum 20.

[0067] (Operation during intermediate stop) 8 shows an intermediate stop state in which the back door 6 is temporarily held at the intermediate position P3'. In this intermediate stop state, the back door 6 is permitted to be closed, but is prevented from being opened.

[0068] 9, when the rotating drum 20 rotates in the second rotation direction A2 around the shaft portion 20a in conjunction with the closing operation of the back door 6, the locking claw 52 of the ratchet 51 moves to sequentially ride over the multiple engagement teeth 22a on the rotating drum 20 side, thereby allowing the rotating drum 20 to rotate in the second rotation direction A2. This is because, as described above, all of the multiple engagement teeth 22a have an inclined shape.

[0069] The ratchet 51 rotates slightly temporarily in the unlocking direction C2 when the locking claw 52 overcomes one of the engagement teeth 22a against the elastic force of the torsion spring 56, and then rotates in the locking direction C1 to engage with another engagement tooth 22a. The ratchet 51 repeats this movement while the door closing operation of the back door 6 continues. Therefore, the back door 6 is allowed to move only in the door closing direction when it is stopped midway. When the user wants to stop the door closing operation of the back door 6 midway, he or she can perform the door holding operation described above.

[0070] In the holding device 10 shown in Fig. 9, even if the rotating drum 20 tries to rotate in the first rotation direction A1 around the shaft portion 20a in conjunction with the door-opening operation of the back door 6, the engagement between the locking claw 52 of the ratchet 51 and the engagement teeth 22a on the rotating drum 20 side is not released. In addition, since the ratchet 51 is in the locked position R2, the lock link 43 cannot engage with the ratchet 51 and is in a state where it does not interfere with the ratchet 51 even if it rotates, that is, in a so-called "striking state." Therefore, the locked state of the rotating drum 20 is maintained, and the movement of the back door 6 in the door-opening direction is prevented when it is stopped midway.

[0071] As described above, the holding device 10 of this embodiment has a structure that allows movement of the back door 6 only in one direction, which is the door closing direction, after temporarily holding the back door 6 at any intermediate position P3', a so-called "one-way structure." Therefore, the holding device 10 has an advantage that the rotating drum 20 can be switched from a locked state to an unlocked state when the back door 6 held at any intermediate position P3' receives an external force such as wind, preventing the back door 6 from opening in the door opening direction.

[0072] (Door closing operation) 10 shows a state in which a user grasps the back door 6 with his / her fingers and closes it from the intermediate position P3' to the fully closed position P1. At this time, the cable member 25 is pulled back to the rotating drum 20 of the holding device 10 in accordance with the movement of the back door 6.

[0073] 11, in conjunction with the closing operation of the back door 6, the rotating drum 20 of the holding device 10 rotates in a second rotation direction A2 about the shaft portion 20a while rewinding the cable member 25 according to the elastic biasing force of the spring member 24. In addition, in conjunction with the movement of the rotating drum 20 at this time, the rotating gear 41 rotates in a second rotation direction B2 about the shaft portion 41a.

[0074] Here, the cancel pin 42 of the rotating gear 41 is provided so as to interfere with the second engagement arm 59 of the cancel lever 57 immediately before the back door 6 reaches the fully closed position P1. At this time, the first engagement arm 58 of the cancel lever 57 engages with the engagement pin 55 provided on the second engagement arm 54 of the ratchet 51. Then, the rotating gear 41 continues to rotate in the second rotation direction B2 until the back door 6 reaches the fully closed position P1, so that the ratchet 51 rotates in the unlock direction C2 via the cancel lever 57 and returns to the unlock position R1. As a result, the engagement between the locking claw 52 of the ratchet 51 and the engagement teeth 22a on the rotating drum 20 side is released, and the rotating drum 20 becomes in the unlocked state.

[0075] In this way, the ratchet 51 rotates from the locked position R2 to the unlocked position R1 by utilizing the fact that the cancel lever 57, which engages with the cancel pin 42 as the rotating gear 41 rotates, engages with the engagement pin 55 of the ratchet 51.

[0076] In addition, when the other end 56b of the torsion spring 56 moves from the locked region D2 (see FIG. 2) across the imaginary line L to the unlocked region D1 (see FIG. 2), the ratchet 51 receives an elastic biasing force in the unlocking direction C2 from the torsion spring 56. Therefore, the ratchet 51 is held in the unlocked position R1, and the rotating drum 20 can be maintained in the unlocked state. As a result, the back door 6 in the fully closed position P1 becomes available for the next door opening operation.

[0077] According to the above-mentioned first embodiment, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.

[0078] In the above-mentioned holding device 10, the lock switching mechanism 30 has a function of switching the rotating drum 20 between a locked state and an unlocked state. The lock switching mechanism 30 has a rotating gear 41 that rotates in conjunction with a gear 22 provided on the rotating drum 20, a ratchet 51 that rotates to be able to mesh with the engagement teeth 22a of the gear 22, a lock link 43 that rotates the ratchet 51 toward a locked position where it meshes with the engagement teeth 22a of the gear 22, and a torque limiter 45 that transmits and cuts off torque from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43.

[0079] In the lock switching mechanism 30, when the user opens the back door 6 from the fully closed position P1 to the intermediate position P2, the torque transmitted from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43 is blocked by the torque limiter 45, preventing the lock link 43 from operating, and the ratchet 51 is held in the unlocked position R1. Therefore, the rotating drum 20 can be maintained in the unlocked state, and the user can continue to open the back door 6.

[0080] In addition, when the lock switching mechanism 30 is to hold the back door 6 at any intermediate position P3' between the fully closed position P1 and the fully open position P2, the back door 6 is operated to be temporarily closed from the intermediate position P3. As a result, torque is transmitted from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43 by the torque limiter 45, and the lock link 43 is actuated, so that the ratchet 51 rotates toward the lock position R2. Therefore, the rotating drum 20 can be switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, and the user can temporarily hold the back door 6 at any intermediate position P3'. Then, since the movement of the back door 6 only in the door closing direction is permitted in the locked state of the rotating drum 20, a door opening operation to move the back door 6 in the opposite direction is prevented.

[0081] Here, according to the lock switching mechanism 30 configured as described above, the rotating gear 41, the lock link 43, and the torque limiter 45 can be used as a trigger for rotating the ratchet 51 during the door holding operation of the back door 6. Therefore, in the holding device 10 having a one-way structure that temporarily holds the back door 6 at any intermediate position P3' and allows movement only in the door closing direction after holding the back door 6, there is no need to use multiple ratchets or multiple rotating gears, and the number of parts can be kept small to prevent the structure from becoming complicated.

[0082] Therefore, according to the above-described first embodiment, the structure of the vehicle door holding device 10 can be simplified.

[0083] According to the lock switching mechanism 30 configured as described above, when the back door 6 is opened, the lock link 43 is locked by the stopper 10c, preventing the lock link 43 from operating. This places the torque limiter 45 in an overload state, blocking the torque transmitted from the rotating gear 41 to the lock link 43, and allows the rotating gear 41 to rotate independently of the lock link 43. Therefore, the torque limiter 45 can be placed in an overload state by utilizing the simple structure in which the stopper 10c locks the lock link 43.

[0084] According to the lock switching mechanism 30 configured as described above, during a door closing operation to close the back door 6 to the fully closed position P1, the ratchet 51 can be rotated from the locked position R2 to the unlocked position R2 by the cancel lever 57, and the rotating drum 20 can be set to an unlocked state. Therefore, when the back door 6 is in the fully closed position P1, it is possible to prevent a door opening operation to reopen the back door 6 from being blocked while the rotating drum 20 remains in the locked state.

[0085] According to the lock switching mechanism 30 configured as described above, the cancel lever 57, which engages with the cancel pin 42 as the rotating gear 41 rotates, engages with the engagement pin 55 of the ratchet 51, making it possible to rotate the ratchet 51 from the locked position R2 to the unlocked position R1.

[0086] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various applications and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following embodiments can be implemented by applying the above-described embodiment.

[0087] In the above-described embodiment, a cancel structure has been exemplified in which the rotation of the rotating gear 41 is used to operate the cancel lever 57 to move the ratchet 51 from the locked position R2 to the unlocked position R1. However, instead of this, a cancel structure in which a mechanical cancel lever that can be operated by the user independently of the rotation of the rotating gear 41 is used to move the ratchet 51 to the unlocked position R1, or a cancel structure in which an actuator that operates in response to a user's operation is used to move the ratchet 51 to the unlocked position R1, or the like, can be appropriately adopted.

[0088] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given of the case where the retaining device 10 is attached to the vehicle body 1 and one end 11a of the cable member 25 is engaged with the back door 6, but instead, a structure can be adopted in which the retaining device 10 is attached to the back door 6 and one end 11a of the cable member 25 is engaged with the vehicle body 1.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, the holding device 10 for a back door has been exemplified, but the structure of the above-described holding device 10 can also be applied to other doors for a vehicle, such as a glass hatch that is attached to the back door so as to be able to open and close, a tilt-up sunroof that is attached to the ceiling panel of the vehicle body 1 so as to be able to open and close, and a bonnet that is attached to the front part of the vehicle body 1 so as to be able to open and close. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1. Vehicle body 6 Back door (vehicle door) 10 Vehicle door retaining device (retaining device) 10c Stopper 20 Rotating Drum 22 First Gear (Gear) 22a Engaging tooth 25 Cable members 30 Lock switching mechanism 41 Rotating Gear 42 Cancel pin (cancel part) 43 Lock Link 45 Torque limiter (torque transmission switching part) 51 Ratchet 55 Engagement pin (second engagement portion) 57 Cancel lever P1 Fully closed position P2 Fully open position P3,P3' intermediate position R1 unlock position R2 Lock position

Claims

1. A vehicle door holding device that holds a vehicle door at an intermediate position between a fully closed position and a fully open position, a rotating drum rotatably provided on one of the vehicle door and the vehicle body and connected to the other of the vehicle door and the vehicle body via a cable member; A gear provided on the rotating drum and having engaging teeth on its outer periphery; a lock switching mechanism that switches the rotating drum between a locked state in which the rotation of the rotating drum is locked and an unlocked state in which the lock on the rotation of the rotating drum is released; Equipped with The lock switching mechanism includes a rotary gear that rotates in conjunction with the gear, a ratchet that can rotate between an unlocked position at which the gear is released from meshing with the engagement teeth and a locked position at which the gear is meshed with the engagement teeth, a lock link that operates to rotate the ratchet from the unlocked position to the locked position, and a torque transmission switching unit that can transmit and interrupt torque from the rotary gear to the lock link, The lock switching mechanism is configured to hold the ratchet in the unlocked position by interrupting the torque transmitted from the rotating gear to the lock link by the torque transmission switching unit during a door opening operation for opening the vehicle door from the fully closed position toward the intermediate position, and to rotate the ratchet to the locked position by transmitting torque from the rotating gear to the lock link by the torque transmission switching unit during a door holding operation for temporarily closing the vehicle door from the intermediate position toward the fully closed position, thereby locking the rotating drum and allowing movement only in the door closing direction in this locked state. The lock switching mechanism has a cancel lever that rotates the ratchet from the locked position to the unlocked position during a door closing operation that closes the vehicle door to the fully closed position, the rotating gear is provided with a cancel portion that can engage with the cancel lever, and the ratchet is provided with an engagement portion that can engage with the cancel lever.

2. 2. The vehicle door retaining device according to claim 1, wherein the lock switching mechanism includes a stopper that engages the lock link when the vehicle door is opened.

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