Door handle device

Abstract

This door handle device comprises: a bracket that is attached to a door of a vehicle and that has an accommodation space that serves as a hand-putting space having an opening formed on the front surface side; a lid body that has a hinge shaft supported by the bracket, is rotatably provided in the accommodation space S of the bracket, and opens and closes the opening; and a biasing member that biases the lid body in the closing direction by applying biasing force to the lid body. The lid body has an operation unit that is provided on the outside of the bracket and is connected to the hinge shaft. The biasing member is disposed outside the bracket and applies a biasing force to the operation unit.

Description

Door handle device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a door handle device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a door handle for an automobile that includes a base having an opening formed by a storage groove, a lid body formed by a rotating body that is rotatably supported on the base by a hinge portion and opens and closes the opening portion of the base, and a spring that biases the lid body from the inside to a position that closes the opening portion. In this door handle, when a user manually presses the lid body, the lid body rotates inward against the bias of the spring and is accommodated in a storage space inside the opening portion, allowing a finger to be placed on the edge of the opening portion.

[0003] In the door handle described above, the spring that biases the lid from the inside is arranged inside the storage space of the base so that it is externally biased against the hinge portion. Despite the limited size of the storage space, the door handle of Patent Document 1 sacrifices waterproofing by providing a spring escape hole 41 in the upper part of the base in order to install a spring with a coil diameter that generates a predetermined torque inside the main space. Thus, a door handle that operates toward the inside of the door has limitations on the storage space and spring design.

[0004] Chinese Patent Application Publication No. 113153035

[0005] The present disclosure provides a door handle device that allows for increased freedom in designing the accommodation space and the biasing member even when the size of the accommodation space in the lid body is limited.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, a door handle device comprises: a bracket that is attached to a vehicle door and has a storage space with an opening formed on the front side that serves as a grab space; a lid body that has a hinge shaft supported by the bracket and is rotatably disposed within the storage space of the bracket to open and close the opening; and a biasing member that biases the lid body in a closing direction by applying a biasing force to the lid body, wherein the lid body has an operating portion that is provided on the outside of the bracket and connected to the hinge shaft, and the biasing member is positioned on the outside of the bracket and applies a biasing force to the operating portion.

[0007] The biasing member may be a torsion spring having a cylindrical coil portion formed by winding a wire into a coil shape and locking ends consisting of both ends of the wire protruding from the coil portion, the coil portion being extrapolated onto a boss formed on the outer surface of the bracket, and one of the locking ends being locked to the bracket and the other being locked to the operating portion.

[0008] The boss may be located on the front surface of the bracket further back than the hinge shaft and may abut against an inner periphery of the coil portion to restrict movement of the biasing member toward the front surface.

[0009] The boss may have an outer peripheral portion formed in a circular shape, the outer peripheral portion having an arc-shaped portion that abuts the coil portion and an open portion excluding the arc-shaped portion, and the hinge axis may be located inside the open portion.

[0010] The operation unit may include: a gear member having a gear fixed to the hinge shaft; and an arm unit having a gear that meshes with the gear of the gear member and rotatably supported by the bracket.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a door handle device that allows for increased freedom in designing the accommodation space and the biasing member even when the size of the accommodation space in the lid body is limited.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the door handle device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the door handle device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 3 is a front view of the door handle device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the door handle device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the door handle device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side with the bracket frame and the case front plate removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the door handle device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side with the cover pushed in and the bracket frame and the case front plate removed. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the door handle device according to the second embodiment as viewed from the front side. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the door handle device according to the second embodiment as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of one side of the door handle device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a front view of the door handle device according to the second embodiment as viewed from the bracket frame and the case front plate removed.

[0013] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment First, a door handle device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the door handle device 100 according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the door handle device 100 according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the rear side. FIG. 3 is a front view of the door handle device 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view of the door handle device 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the door handle device 100, as viewed from the front side, with the frame body 11 of the bracket 10 and the front plate portion 22 of the case 21 removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the door handle device 100, as viewed from the front side, with the cover body 30 pushed in, with the frame body 11 of the bracket 10 and the front plate portion 22 of the case 21 removed.

[0015] 1 to 5, the door handle device 100 according to this embodiment includes a bracket 10, a cover body 30, and a biasing member 50. In Fig. 1, arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle, arrow BC indicates the rear of the vehicle, arrow UP indicates the top of the vehicle, arrow DW indicates the bottom of the vehicle, arrow WR indicates the right of the vehicle, and arrow WL indicates the left of the vehicle.

[0016] The door handle device 100 is provided on a door of a vehicle such as an automobile. An outer panel 1 constituting the door on which the door handle device 100 is provided has a mounting hole 2 (see FIG. 4). The door handle device 100 is attached to the inner surface of the outer panel 1 at the location where the mounting hole 2 is formed.

[0017] The bracket 10 includes a frame 11 and a case 21. The frame 11 is rectangular in front view and includes an upper panel 12, a lower panel 13, and side panel portions 14 and 15. The case 21 is fitted inside the frame 11. The case 21 includes a front panel 22, a rear panel 23, and side panel portions 24 and 25 (see FIG. 5 ). The front panel 22 has an opening 26 at its lower side. This opening 26 is positioned so as to communicate with the mounting hole 2 in the outer panel 1. A user's finger is inserted into the communicating mounting hole 2 and opening 26 when operating the door handle device 100. The rear panel 23 has a shape that curves rearward in an arc shape in a vertical cross-sectional view. The rear panel 23 also has a bottom surface 23a at its lower portion. The side plate portions 24, 25 are attached to both sides of the rear plate portion 23. The bracket 10 has the frame body 11 and the case 21, and the inside of the case 21 forms an accommodation space S.

[0018] The bracket 10 has mounting portions 29 with fastening members 28 formed on the upper and lower parts of the frame 11. The bracket 10 has two mounting portions 29 on its upper part and one mounting portion 29 on its lower part. The bracket 10 is fixed to the inner surface of the outer panel 1 by fastening the fastening members 28 of the mounting portions 29 to stays (not shown) of the outer panel 1. In this way, the door handle device 100 is assembled to the door.

[0019] The lid body 30 is supported by the bracket 10 and disposed within the storage space S of the bracket 10. The lid body 30 includes a hinge shaft 31, a lid main body 32, and multiple connecting portions 33 (see FIG. 5 ). The hinge shaft 31 is a rod extending horizontally, and its ends 31a, 31b are rotatably supported by both side plate portions 14, 15 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10 and both side plate portions 24, 25 of the case 21. The lid main body 32 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate. The connecting portions 33 are integrally formed on the back surface of the lid main body 32. These connecting portions 33 extend toward the hinge shaft 31, and their ends are fixed to the hinge shaft 31. This allows the lid main body 32 of the lid body 30 to rotate together with the hinge shaft 31.

[0020] The lid body 32 has an outer shape that is slightly smaller than the inner shape of the opening 26 formed in the front plate portion 22 of the case 21 of the bracket 10. When the lid body 30 is rotated from the inside to the outside of the storage space S, the lid body 32 fits into the opening 26 in the front plate portion 22 of the bracket 10, closing the opening 26. Also, as shown in Figure 6, when the lid body 30 is rotated toward the inside of the storage space S and moves to the back side of the storage space S, it disengages from the opening 26, opening the opening 26 of the bracket 10. In other words, when the lid body 30 is rotated about the axis of the hinge shaft 31, it is positioned between a closed position where the opening 26 of the bracket 10 is closed and an open position where the opening 26 of the bracket 10 is open.

[0021] The cover 30 has an operating unit 40. The operating unit 40 is provided at one end 31a of the hinge shaft 31 of the cover 30. As a result, the operating unit 40 is rotated together with the hinge shaft 31.

[0022] The operating unit 40 has a fixed portion 41 that is fitted and fixed to one end 31 a of the hinge shaft 31, and an arm portion 42 that extends from the fixed portion 41 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the hinge shaft 31. The arm portion 42 has a locking projection 43 at its tip that protrudes toward the bracket 10. In other words, the cover 30 and the operating unit 40 are configured as separate parts, and after the cover 30 is attached to the bracket 10, the fixed portion 41 of the operating unit 40 can be fitted to one end 31 a of the hinge shaft 31.

[0023] The biasing member 50 is a torsion spring having a coil portion 51 and two locking ends 52, 53. The biasing member 50 applies a biasing force to the lid body 30, thereby pressing the lid body 30 from inside the storage space S and positioning it in a closed position that closes the opening 26. The coil portion 51 is formed into a cylindrical shape by winding a wire into a coil. The locking ends 52, 53 are made up of both ends of the wire and protrude radially outward from the coil portion 51.

[0024] The biasing member 50 is disposed outside the bracket 10. Specifically, the biasing member 50 is disposed on the outer surface of the side plate portion 14 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10. The side plate portion 14 of the frame body 11 has a boss 16 that protrudes laterally and has a circular cross-sectional shape, and the biasing member 50 has a coil portion 51 that is fitted onto the boss 16. The boss 16 has a circular outer periphery, which has an arc-shaped portion 16a that abuts the coil portion 51 and an open portion 16b excluding the arc-shaped portion 16a. The hinge shaft 31 is located inside the open portion 16b. Furthermore, the central axis of the boss 16 is located closer to the rear plate portion 23 than the hinge shaft 31. This allows the hinge shaft 31 for rotating the cover 30 to be closer to the front plate portion 22 while preventing the coil portion 51 from contacting the outer panel 1.

[0025] A locking portion 17 is formed on the side plate portion 14 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10, and one locking end portion 52 of the urging member 50 is locked to the locking portion 17. The other locking end portion 53 of the urging member 50 is locked to a locking projection 43 formed on the arm portion 42 that constitutes the operating portion 40 of the cover body 30.

[0026] The biasing member 50 disposed on the outside of the bracket 10 applies a biasing force to the operating unit 40 fixed to the lid body 30. As a result, the lid body 30 is pressed from inside the storage space S by the biasing force transmitted from the operating unit 40 to the hinge shaft 31 to the closed position where the lid main body 32 closes the opening 26.

[0027] A damper 62 having a gear 61 is attached to the other side plate portion 15 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10. The gear 61 of this damper 62 is engaged with a gear 63 provided on the other end 31b of the hinge shaft 31. As a result, rattles caused when the lid body 30 rotates are suppressed by the damper 62, and the lid body 30 rotates smoothly.

[0028] In the door handle device 100 having the above structure, a user presses the lid body 32 of the lid body 30, which is in the closed position closing the opening 26, with their finger against the biasing force of the biasing member 50. The pushing force of the finger causes the lid body 30 to rotate inward into the storage space S, moving to the open position opening the opening 26 (see FIG. 6 ). The user then places their finger on the edge of the opening 26 and pulls it toward themselves to open it, thereby opening the door. When the user removes their finger from the opening 26, the biasing force of the biasing member 50 presses the lid body 32 of the lid body 30 from the inside to the outside of the storage space S, moving it to the closed position. This causes the lid body 32 to fit into the opening 26, closing the opening 26. The lid body 30 may be configured to move to the open position by the pushing force of the finger, or may be configured to move from the closed position to the open position by a motor after being pushed to a predetermined position by the finger.

[0029] As described above, according to the door handle device 100 of the first embodiment, the biasing member 50 that biases the cover body 30 toward the closed position is disposed on the outside of the bracket 10. This allows for increased design freedom for the biasing member 50 while ensuring sufficient storage space S for the user's fingers to grip. This also prevents the biasing member 50 from coming into contact with the hand, allowing for easy operation while preventing the adhesion of lubricants and the like to the user's fingers.

[0030] Moreover, the cylindrical coil portion 51 of the biasing member 50 is fitted onto the boss 16 formed on the outer surface of the bracket 10. Therefore, the biasing member 50 can be attached to the bracket 10 well, and the biasing member 50 can be maintained in a stable position even when the lid body 30 is rotated, thereby effectively pressing the lid body 30 toward the closed position. Furthermore, by increasing the diameter of the boss 16, the length of the biasing member 50 can be secured while limiting the lateral protrusion length of the boss 16, and the desired biasing force can be obtained.

[0031] (Second embodiment) Next, a door handle device according to a second embodiment will be described. Note that the same structures as those in the first embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the door handle device 200 according to the second embodiment as viewed from the front side. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the door handle device 200 according to the second embodiment as viewed from the rear side. Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of one side of the door handle device 200 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 10 is a front view of the door handle device 200 with the frame body 11 of the bracket 10 and the front panel portion 22 of the case 21 removed.

[0032] 7 to 10, the door handle device 200 according to the second embodiment has operating units 40A at one end 31a and the other end 31b of the hinge shaft 31 of the cover 30. These operating units 40A are disposed on the outer surfaces of both side plate portions 14, 15 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10. The door handle device 200 also has biasing members 50 provided on the outer surfaces of both side plate portions 14, 15 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10, respectively.

[0033] The operating unit 40A has a gear member 71 having a gear 71a and an arm portion 72 having a gear 72a. The gear member 71 is fitted and fixed to one end 31a and the other end 31b of the hinge shaft 31. The arm portion 72 is rotatably supported by pins 73 on both side plate portions 14, 15 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10. The gear 72a of the arm portion 72 meshes with the gear 71a of the gear member 71 fixed to the hinge shaft 31. The arm portion 72 extends in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the hinge shaft 31 and has an engagement groove 74 at its tip. One engagement end portion 52 of the urging member 50 is engaged with the engagement groove 74 of the arm portion 72.

[0034] Furthermore, bosses 16 onto which the coil portion 51 of the urging member 50 is fitted are formed on both side plate portions 14, 15 of the frame body 11 of the bracket 10. Furthermore, locking pieces 75 are formed along the bosses 16 at positions near the outer periphery of the bosses 16 on both side plate portions 14, 15. The other locking end portion 53 of the urging member 50 is locked to the locking piece 75. In the door handle device 200, the boss 16 is divided into two in the circumferential direction, and the operating portion 40A is disposed inside the boss 16.

[0035] In the door handle device 200 having the above-described structure, the biasing force of the biasing member 50 is transmitted to the arm portion 72 of the operating portion 40A. The biasing force transmitted from the biasing member 50 to the arm portion 72 serves as a rotational force for the arm portion 72. The rotational force of the arm portion 72 is transmitted to the gear member 71 via the meshed gears 72a and 71a, thereby rotating the hinge shaft 31. Therefore, the lid body 30 is pressed from inside the storage space S toward the closed position where the lid main body 32 closes the opening 26.

[0036] According to the door handle device 200 of the second embodiment, the operating unit 40A has a gear member 71 fixed to the hinge shaft 31 and an arm portion 72 rotatably supported on the bracket 10, and the gear member 71 and the gears 71a, 72a of the arm portion 72 are meshed with each other. This allows the arm portion 72 to be positioned offset from the hinge shaft 31, so that the point of action of the biasing force of the biasing member 50 can be set regardless of the position of the hinge shaft 31. For example, the center of the coil portion 51 of the biasing member 50 can be aligned with the rotation center of the arm portion 72 supported by the pin 73, thereby allowing the biasing force of the biasing member 50 to be effectively applied to the operating unit 40A.

[0037] In addition, in the door handle device 200, a biasing force is applied to the hinge shaft 31 of the lid body 30 from the biasing members 50 provided on both sides of the bracket 10, so that the lid body 30 can be pressed toward the closed position in a balanced manner. Also, as in the first embodiment, the lid body 30 and the operating unit 40A are configured as separate members, so that after the lid body 30 is assembled to the bracket 10, the gear member 71 can be fixed to one end 31 a of the hinge shaft 31.

[0038] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments are arbitrary and not limited as long as the present disclosure can be achieved.

[0039] The door handle device of the present disclosure comprises: a bracket (10) that is attached to a vehicle door and has a storage space (S) that serves as a handle space with an opening (26) formed on the front side; a lid body (30) that has a hinge shaft (31) supported by the bracket (10) and is rotatably disposed within the storage space (S) of the bracket (10) to open and close the opening (26); and a biasing member (50) that applies a biasing force to the lid body (30) to bias the lid body (30) in a closing direction, wherein the lid body (30) has an operating unit (40, 40A) that is provided on the outside of the bracket (10) and connected to the hinge shaft (31), and the biasing member (50) is disposed on the outside of the bracket (10) and applies a biasing force to the operating unit (40, 40A).

[0040] This door handle device allows for greater design freedom for the biasing member while ensuring sufficient space for the user's fingers to grip the device. This also prevents the biasing member from coming into contact with the user's hands, allowing for easier operation while minimizing the risk of lubricants or other substances adhering to the user's fingers.

[0041] The biasing member (50) may be a torsion spring having a cylindrical coil portion (51) formed by winding a wire into a coil shape, and locking ends (52, 53) consisting of both ends of the wire protruding from the coil portion (51), the coil portion (51) may be extrapolated onto a boss (16) formed on the outer surface of the bracket (10), and one of the locking ends (52, 53) may be locked to the bracket (10) and the other may be locked to the operating portion (40, 40A).

[0042] With this type of door handle device, the biasing member can be properly attached to the bracket, and the biasing member can be maintained in a stable position even when the lid body is rotated, allowing the lid body to be properly pressed toward the closed position.

[0043] The boss (16) may be located further back than the hinge axis from the front surface of the bracket (10) and may abut against the inner periphery of the coil portion to restrict movement of the urging member toward the front surface.

[0044] In this door handle device, the central axis of the boss is located further back than the hinge axis from the front face of the bracket, so the central axis of the coil wound around the boss is also located further back from the front face of the bracket. This prevents the torsion spring from coming into contact with the outer panel, while allowing the diameter to be increased to reduce the overall length of the torsion spring.

[0045] The boss (16) has an outer peripheral portion formed in a circular shape, and the outer peripheral portion has an arc-shaped portion (16a) that abuts against the coil portion (51) and an open portion (16b) excluding the arc-shaped portion, and the hinge axis (31) may be located inside the open portion (16b).

[0046] According to the door handle device of this configuration, even if the boss is formed in a cylindrical shape, the hinge shaft is located inside the opening, so the hinge shaft does not interfere with the placement of the coil portion.

[0047] The operating section (40A) may include: a gear member (71) having a gear (71a) fixed to the hinge shaft (31); and an arm section (72) having a gear (72a) that meshes with the gear (71a) of the gear member (71) and that is rotatably supported on the bracket (10).

[0048] With this door handle device, the arm portion is positioned at a position offset from the hinge axis, so that the point of application of the biasing force from the biasing member can be set regardless of the position of the hinge axis. For example, by aligning the center of the coil portion of the biasing member with the center of rotation of the arm portion, the biasing force of the biasing member can be effectively applied to the operating part.

[0049] Although various embodiments have been described above, 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 these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the invention.

[0050] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2023-213018) filed on December 18, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0051] 10: Bracket 16: Boss 26: Opening 30: Lid 31: Hinge shaft 40, 40A: Operating portion 50: Urging member 51: Coil portion 52, 53: Engaging end portion 71: Gear member 71a, 72a: Gear 72: Arm portion 100, 200: Door handle device S: Storage space

Claims

1. A door handle device comprising: a bracket attached to a vehicle door and having a storage space with an opening formed on the front side to serve as a grab space; a lid body having a hinge shaft supported by the bracket and rotatably disposed within the storage space of the bracket to open and close the opening; and a biasing member that biases the lid body in a closing direction by applying a biasing force to the lid body, wherein the lid body has an operating portion provided on the outside of the bracket and connected to the hinge shaft, and the biasing member is located on the outside of the bracket and applies a biasing force to the operating portion.

2. The door handle device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing member is a torsion spring having a cylindrical coil portion formed by winding a wire into a coil shape and locking ends consisting of both ends of the wire protruding from the coil portion, the coil portion being fitted onto a boss formed on the outer surface of the bracket, and one end of the locking ends being locked to the bracket and the other end being locked to the operating portion.

3. The door handle device according to claim 2, wherein the boss is located on the rear side of the hinge axis with respect to the front surface of the bracket and abuts against the inner periphery of the coil portion to restrict movement of the biasing member toward the front surface.

4. The door handle device according to claim 3, wherein the boss has an outer periphery formed in a circular shape, the outer periphery has an arc-shaped portion that abuts against the coil portion, and an open portion excluding the arc-shaped portion, and the hinge shaft is located inside the open portion.

5. A door handle device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the operating portion comprises: a gear member having a gear fixed to the hinge shaft; and an arm portion having a gear that meshes with the gear of the gear member and rotatably supported on the bracket.

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