Handle device

Abstract

According to the present invention, a handle body is shifted between a storage position in which the handle body is stored in a door and a projection position in which a part of the handle body projects from the door, and can be shifted from the projection position to an operation position in which an operating surface is separated from a cam surface by a gripping operation against a biasing force of a biasing member. The cam comprises a displacement region A1 in which a distance from a rotation center O2 to the cam surface changes in a stepped manner and in which the handle body can be pushed from the storage position to the projection position, and a holding region A2 in which the distance from the rotation center O2 to the cam surface is maintained constant and in which the handle body is held at the projection position. In the holding region A2, a tangent line La at a contact point P at which the operating surface of the handle body contacts, and a straight line Lb passing through the rotation center O2 and the contact point P, are orthogonal to each other.

Description

Handle device

[0001] The present invention relates to a steering device for a vehicle.

[0002] Flush surface door handles are available for vehicles, in which the handle body is stored inside the door when the vehicle is in motion, making the exterior surface of the door flush with the surface of the handle body, from the standpoint of improving appearance and aerodynamics.

[0003] A known type of flush surface handle has a handle body with a rotation axis at one end in the longitudinal direction and a cam that rotates using a motor. When in use, the motor rotates the cam, rotating the handle body from its stored position to a protruding position that protrudes from the door plane (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] A rotating flush surface handle unlocks the door when the user grips the handle body from the extended position and rotates it further to the unlocked position. The handle body has a spring that biases it from the unlocked position to the extended position, and when the user performs the unlocking operation and releases the handle body, the biasing force of the spring returns the handle body to the extended position.

[0005] When a user grips such a flush handle and rotates it from the extended position to the unlocked position, the handle body moves away from the cam. Therefore, if the handle body is configured to be directly pressed by the cam surface of the cam, when the user releases the handle body in the unlocked position, the spring-biased force causes the handle body to rotate and collide with the cam. This impact applies force in the direction of rotation of the cam, causing it to rotate. Therefore, even if a motor is used to rotate the cam to extend the handle body from the retracted position to the extended position, the handle body may not fully extend, or the cam may not be able to hold the handle body in the correct extended position.

[0006] Therefore, in conventional handle devices, as in Patent Document 1, a member such as an arm member is interposed between the handle body and the cam so that the handle body does not directly collide with the cam even when it returns from the unlocked position to the extended position due to the biasing force of the spring. However, this handle structure requires a member interposed between the handle device and the cam, which increases the number of components and causes the overall size of the handle device to increase.

[0007] Japan Special Table No. 2014-522926

[0008] The present disclosure provides a handle device that can maintain an accurate rotational position without increasing the number of components or size.

[0009] The present disclosure comprises the following configuration: A handle device for operating a door latch provided on a vehicle door, comprising: a handle body rotatably supported within the door, a cam provided on the handle body having a cam surface against which an operating surface abuts, and an urging member that urges the handle body to cause the operating surface to abut on the cam surface, wherein the handle body is displaced between a stored position stored within the door and a protruding position in which a portion of the handle body protrudes from the door and can be grasped by rotating the cam and causing the cam surface to slide against the operating surface, and the handle body can be grasped from the protruding position against the urging force of the urging member and displaced to an operating position in which the operating surface moves away from the cam surface to operate the door latch, The cam comprises a displacement region in which the distance from the rotation center to the cam surface changes in stages, allowing the handle body to be pushed from the stored position to the extended position, and a holding region in which the distance from the rotation center to the cam surface is constant, and the handle body is held in the extended position by the action surface of the handle body being returned from the operating position by the biasing member abutting against the action surface, and in the holding region, a tangent at the contact point where the action surface of the handle body comes into contact is perpendicular to a straight line passing through the rotation center and the contact point.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a handle device that can maintain an accurate rotational position without increasing the number of components or increasing the size.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a handle device according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a handle body and a cam that constitute the handle device. Fig. 3 is a front view of the handle device. Fig. 4 is a top view of the handle device. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the handle device. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positions of the cam and the acting surface when the handle body is arranged in the protruding position. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the handle device when the handle body is arranged in the protruding position. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the handle device when the handle body is arranged in the operating position. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positions of the cam and the acting surface when the handle body is arranged in the operating position.

[0012] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, 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.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a handle device 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a handle body 10 and a cam 20 that constitute the handle device 100. Fig. 3 is a front view of the handle device 100. Fig. 4 is a top view of the handle device 100. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the handle device 100.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, a handle device 100 according to this embodiment is assembled to a door panel 2 having an opening 1 (see Figure 2). The door panel 2 is an outer panel that constitutes a vehicle door. The handle device 100 is a device that operates a door latch (not shown) provided on the vehicle door. In this example, the handle device 100 is provided on the left door of the vehicle.

[0015] The handle device 100 has a handle body 10, a cam 20, and a biasing member 30. The handle device 100 is a flush surface handle in which the handle body 10 is stored inside the door and the surface of the handle body 10 is flush with the exterior surface, which is the outer surface of the door panel 2. In this way, the handle device 100 has improved appearance and aerodynamic characteristics because the surface of the handle body 10 is flush with the exterior surface of the door panel 2.

[0016] The handle device 100 includes a handle base 40 , and the handle body 10 , the cam 20 and the biasing member 30 are assembled to the handle base 40 .

[0017] The handle base 40 has a plurality of (three in this example) fixing portions 41, and is fixed to the inside of the door panel 2 by fastening these fixing portions 41 to the door panel 2 with screws 42. The handle base 40 has a handle accommodating portion 44 having an accommodating recess 43 that accommodates the handle main body 10, and a cam support portion 45 that supports the cam 20. The handle base 40 also has an actuator accommodating portion 46 above the cam support portion 45, and this actuator accommodating portion 46 accommodates an actuator (not shown), such as a motor, that rotates the cam 20. The handle base 40 also supports an operating arm 47 that connects to the door latch.

[0018] The handle body 10 has a long, smooth plate-like portion 11. The handle body 10 has a rotation shaft 12. The handle body 10 is supported by the rotation shaft 12 on the handle base 40 and is rotatable about a rotation center O1 (see FIG. 2).

[0019] One end of the handle body 10 sandwiching the rotary shaft 12 is a grip portion 13. This grip portion 13 is the part that is gripped by the user when operating the handle device 100. The handle body 10 also has a pressing member 15 having an action surface 14 on the other end thereof sandwiching the rotary shaft 12. The action surface 14 of the pressing member 15 is an inclined surface that gradually slopes in a direction away from the rotary shaft 12 as it goes to the side opposite the plate-shaped portion 11.

[0020] The cam 20 has a rotation shaft 21, and is rotatable around a rotation center O2 by this rotation shaft 21. The cam 20 is rotated in rotation directions Ra and Rb by an actuator housed in the actuator housing 46. The outer peripheral surface of the cam 20 is a cam surface 22. This cam surface 22 is the surface with which the action surface 14 of the pressing member 15 of the handle body 10 slides. As the cam 20 rotates around the rotation center O2, the position of the contact point P between the cam surface 22 and the action surface 14 is displaced, and the handle body 10 is thereby rotated around the rotation center O1.

[0021] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positions of the cam 20 and the acting surface 14 when the handle body 10 is in the protruding position. As shown in FIG. 6 , the cam surface 22 of the cam 20 has a displacement region A1 and a holding region A2. In the displacement region A1, the distance from the rotation center O2 to the cam surface 22 gradually changes from distance D1 to distance D2, which is greater than distance D1, toward the holding region A2. In contrast, in the holding region A2, the distance D2 from the rotation center O2 to the cam surface 22 is constant. As a result, in the holding region A2 of the cam surface 22, a tangent line La passing through the contact point P where the acting surface 14 of the handle body 10 contacts the cam 20 is perpendicular to a straight line Lb passing through the contact point P where the rotation center O2 of the cam 20 contacts the acting surface 14.

[0022] Furthermore, by setting the rotation angle of the cam 20 when the handle body 10 is in the protruding position so that the contact point P is at the middle position of the holding area A2, even if an error occurs in the stopping angle of the cam 20, it is possible to reliably ensure that the tangent line La passing through the contact point P where the operating surface 14 of the handle body 10 contacts and the straight line Lb passing through the contact point P where the rotation center O2 of the cam 20 contacts the operating surface 14 are perpendicular to each other.

[0023] The biasing member 30 is a torsion coil spring having a coil portion 31 and a pair of arm portions 32, 33 extending outward from both ends of the coil portion 31. The biasing member 30 is attached to the rotation shaft 12 of the handle body 10 with the rotation shaft 12 inserted into the coil portion 31, and the arm portions 32, 33 are engaged with the handle body 10 and the handle base 40. The biasing member 30 biases the handle body 10 in a rotational direction that draws it into the accommodating recess 43 of the handle base 40, and causes the operating surface 14 of the pressing member 15 of the handle body 10 to abut against the cam surface 22 of the cam 20.

[0024] In the handle device 100 having the above-described configuration, the handle body 10 is displaceable among a storage position, a protruding position, and an operating position.

[0025] Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the handle device 100 when the handle body 10 is in the protruding position. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the handle device 100 when the handle body 10 is in the operating position. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the positions of the cam 20 and the operating surface 14 when the handle body 10 is in the operating position.

[0026] In the storage position, the handle body 10 is housed in the storage recess 43 of the handle base 40 and stored inside the door (see FIG. 1 ). As a result, the surface of the plate-like portion 11 of the handle body 10 is flush with the exterior surface of the door panel 2.

[0027] The handle body 10 is displaced from the retracted position to the extended position by the cam 20 being rotated in the rotation direction Ra and the operating surface 14 slidingly contacting the cam surface 22 from the displacement area A1 to the holding area A2.

[0028] 7, in the protruding position, the operating surface 14 of the handle body 10 is pressed by the cam surface 22, causing the handle body 10 to rotate against the biasing force of the biasing member 30, and the grip portion 13 is protruded from the accommodation recess 43. As a result, the handle body 10 is in a state in which the grip portion 13 protrudes from the opening 1 of the door panel 2, allowing the user to grip it.

[0029] When the user grips the grip portion 13 while the handle body 10 is in the protruding position and operates it to further rotate against the biasing force of the biasing member 30, the handle body 10 is displaced from the protruding position to the operating position.

[0030] 8, in the operating position, the handle body 10 is in a state in which the grip portion 13 further protrudes from the accommodation recess 43. When the handle body 10 is displaced to this operating position, the operating arm 47 is rotated, and the door latch provided on the vehicle door is actuated to open the door.

[0031] In this way, when the handle body 10 is displaced to the operating position against the biasing force of the biasing member 30, the operating surface 14 of the handle body 10 is separated from the cam surface 22 of the cam 20, as shown in Figure 9.

[0032] When the user releases the handle body 10 that has been displaced to this operating position, the handle body 10 is rotated back toward the protruding position by the biasing force of the biasing member 30. Then, the operating surface 14 of the handle body 10 abuts against the holding area A2 of the cam surface 22 of the cam 20. This restricts the handle body 10 from rotating due to the biasing force of the biasing member 30, and the handle body 10 is held in the protruding position.

[0033] In the handle device 100 according to this embodiment, a tangent line La passing through the contact point P where the operating surface 14 contacts the holding area A2 of the cam surface 22 is perpendicular to a line Lb passing through the contact point P where the center of rotation O2 of the cam 20 and the operating surface 14 contact (see FIG. 6 ). Therefore, even if the operating surface 14 of the handle body 10, which is being returned from the operating position to the extended position by the biasing force of the biasing member 30, contacts the holding area A2 of the cam surface 22, the impact force at the time of contact is directed toward the center of rotation O2 of the cam 20, so no moment of inertia is generated in the cam 20. This suppresses changes in the rotation angle of the cam 20 due to the impact when the handle body 10 is returned from the operating position to the extended position.

[0034] When the handle body 10 is returned to the extended position, the cam 20 is rotated in the reverse direction Rb. As a result, the cam 20 rotates in the rotation direction Rb and the operating surface 14 slides over the cam surface 22 from the holding area A2 to the displacement area A1, displacing the handle body 10 from the extended position to the retracted position. As a result, the handle body 10 is accommodated in the accommodation recess 43 of the handle base 40 and stored inside the door (see FIG. 1 ). As a result, the surface of the plate-like portion 11 of the handle body 10 is flush with the exterior surface of the door panel 2.

[0035] As described above, the handle device 100 according to this embodiment can suppress changes in the rotation angle of the cam 20 due to the impact when the handle body 10 is returned from the operating position to the extended position, thereby maintaining the rotation angle of the cam 20. Therefore, the handle body 10 can be returned to the storage position without misalignment by the subsequent rotation of the cam 20. In other words, the accurate rotational position of the handle body 10 can be maintained without increasing the number of components or the size, and good design and aerodynamic characteristics can be maintained when the handle body 10 is returned to the storage position and stored inside the door panel 2.

[0036] The handle device 100 of the above embodiment may also include a switch that detects displacement of the handle body 10. For example, when the switch detects displacement of the handle body 10, it may send a signal to the door latch, and when the door latch receives the signal, it may electrically drive a motor or the like to open the door. In this way, the amount of displacement of the handle body 10 can be made smaller than when the handle body 10 operates the operating arm 47 to activate the door latch, thereby reducing the impact when the handle body 10 returns from the operating position to the extended position.

[0037] The switch may be a tactile switch operated by pressing the handle body 10, or a non-contact switch such as a sensor (infrared sensor, Hall sensor, capacitance sensor, etc.). The switch may directly detect the displacement of the handle body 10, or may indirectly detect the displacement of the handle body 10 by detecting the displacement of the operating arm 47 operated by the handle body 10.

[0038] In the handle device 100 of the above embodiment, the handle body 10 may be provided with a shock absorbing structure on the pressing member 15 of the handle body 10, which has the operating surface 14 that is in sliding contact with the cam surface 22 of the cam 20, to absorb the shock that occurs when the handle body 10 returns from the operating position to the extended position. By providing the pressing member 15 with this shock absorbing structure, the shock that occurs when the handle body 10 returns from the operating position to the extended position can be weakened, and the change in the rotation angle of the cam 20 can be further suppressed.

[0039] An example of this shock absorbing structure is a structure in which the pressing member 15 is rotatably held relative to the handle body 10, and a spring is provided to apply a biasing force to the pressing member 15 so that the pressing member 15 and the handle body 10 are held at a set angle. In this structure, when an impact greater than the biasing force of the spring is applied to the pressing member 15, the rotation of the pressing member 15 relative to the handle body 10 is permitted, thereby absorbing the impact.

[0040] Furthermore, instead of using a spring as the shock absorbing structure, the pressing member 15 may be formed in the shape of an elastically deformable beam. As a first example, a lightening groove is provided on the side opposite the acting surface 14, making the acting surface 14 a beam shape supported at both ends. This allows the acting surface 14 to elastically deform and absorb shock. Alternatively, as a second example, the pressing member 15 is formed as an elastic piece protruding in a cantilevered shape from the handle body 10. This allows the pressing member 15 to elastically deform and absorb shock.

[0041] As such, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present disclosure also contemplates the mutual combination of the various components of the embodiments, as well as modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the descriptions in the specification and well-known technologies, and these modifications and applications are included in the scope of protection sought.

[0042] As described above, this specification discloses the following: A handle device for operating a door latch provided on a vehicle door, comprising: a handle body rotatably supported within the door; a cam provided on the handle body having a cam surface against which an operating surface abuts; and an urging member that urges the handle body to cause the operating surface to abut on the cam surface, wherein the handle body is displaced between a stored position stored within the door and a protruding position in which a portion of the handle body protrudes from the door and can be grasped by rotating the cam and causing the cam surface to slide against the operating surface, and the handle body can be grasped from the protruding position against the urging force of the urging member and displaced to an operating position in which the operating surface moves away from the cam surface to operate the door latch, The cam comprises a displacement region in which the distance from the rotation center to the cam surface changes in stages, allowing the handle body to be pushed from the storage position to the protruding position, and a holding region in which the distance from the rotation center to the cam surface is constant, and the working surface of the handle body, which is returned from the operating position by the biasing member, abuts against the working surface to hold the handle body in the protruding position, wherein in the holding region, a tangent at the contact point where the working surface of the handle body comes into contact is perpendicular to a straight line passing through the rotation center and the contact point.

[0043] In this handle device, the cam is rotated to displace the handle body between a retracted position, where it is retracted within the door, and a protruding position, where it partially protrudes from the door and can be grasped. The user can then grasp the handle body from the protruding position and move it to the operating position, thereby activating the door latch. When the user releases the handle body, the biasing force of the biasing member returns the handle body to the protruding position, and the working surface of the handle body abuts against the holding area of ​​the cam surface. Because the tangent line passing through the contact point where the working surface of the handle body contacts the holding area of ​​the cam surface is perpendicular to the line passing through the center of rotation of the cam and the contact point, even if the working surface of the handle body abuts against the holding area of ​​the cam surface, the impact force at the time of contact is directed toward the center of rotation of the cam, and no moment of inertia is generated in the cam. Therefore, the rotational angle of the cam can be maintained when the handle body is returned, and the subsequent rotation of the cam allows the handle body to be returned to the retracted position without misalignment. In other words, the accurate rotational position of the handle body can be maintained without increasing the number of components or the size, and good design and aerodynamic characteristics can be maintained when the handle body is stored.

[0044] The handle body may have a pressing member on one end thereof that is a grippable holding portion and on the other end thereof that is provided with the action surface, with the handle body sandwiching the rotation center, and the pressing member may have an impact absorbing portion that absorbs the impact when the handle body abuts against the holding area of ​​the cam surface.

[0045] According to the handle device having this configuration, it is possible to reduce the impact when the handle body is returned from the operating position to the protruding position, and it is possible to further suppress the change in the rotation angle of the cam.

[0046] The pressing member may be rotatably held relative to the handle body, and the shock absorbing section may apply a biasing force to the pressing member, thereby holding the pressing member and the handle body at a set angle.

[0047] According to the handle device having this configuration, when an impact exceeding the biasing force of the spring is applied to the pressing member, the pressing member is allowed to rotate relative to the handle body, thereby absorbing the impact.

[0048] 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.

[0049] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (Patent Application No. 2024-072619) filed on April 26, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0050] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Handle body 13 Grip portion 14 Working surface 15 Pressing member 20 Cam 22 Cam surface 30 Urging member 100 Handle device A1 Displacement area A2 Holding area D1, D2 Distance O1, O2 Center of rotation La Tangent line Lb Straight line

Claims

1. A handle device for operating a door latch provided on a vehicle door, comprising: a handle body rotatably supported within the door; a cam provided on the handle body having a cam surface against which an operating surface abuts; and an urging member that urges the handle body to cause the operating surface to abut on the cam surface; the handle body is displaced between a stored position stored within the door and a protruding position in which a portion of the handle body protrudes from the door and can be grasped by rotating the cam and causing the cam surface to slide against the operating surface; and the handle body can be grasped from the protruding position against the urging force of the urging member and displaced to an operating position in which the operating surface moves away from the cam surface to operate the door latch. The cam comprises a displacement region in which the distance from the rotation center to the cam surface changes in stages, allowing the handle body to be pushed from the stored position to the extended position, and a holding region in which the distance from the rotation center to the cam surface is constant, and the handle body is held in the extended position by the action surface of the handle body being returned from the operating position by the biasing member abutting against the action surface, and in the holding region, a tangent at the contact point where the action surface of the handle body comes into contact is perpendicular to a straight line passing through the rotation center and the contact point.

2. A handle device as described in claim 1, wherein the handle body has a gripping portion at one end that can be grasped, and a pressing member at the other end that is equipped with the operating surface, and the pressing member has a shock absorbing portion that absorbs the shock when the handle body abuts against the holding area of ​​the cam surface.

3. The handle device according to claim 2, wherein the pressing member is held rotatably relative to the handle body, and the shock absorbing section applies a biasing force to the pressing member, thereby holding the pressing member and the handle body at a set angle.

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