VEHICLE DOOR LOCK DEVICE

• US 20120110920A1
• Filed: 07/07/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ansei Corporation
• Inventors: Takagi, Masaharu, Yamaji, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,764,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 49/503
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/16 Use of special materials for parts of locks
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/06 by means of inertial forces
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/06 using rotary motors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/36 Locks for passenger or like doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/243 with a bifurcated bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/26 Cooperation between bolts and detents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1059 Lever
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/57 Operators with knobs or handles

Abstract

A switching lever of a vehicle door lock device includes a lever main body, an inertial lever having a mass body pivotably disposed on the lever main body so as to be pivotable from its initial position about a pivot, and a torsion coil spring disposed between the lever main body and the inertial lever and biasing the inertial lever towards its initial position. If the inertial lever is disposed in its initial position and is displaced integrally with the lever main body, the inertial lever will press a pawl, thereby causing a fork to switch to an unlocked position. However, if an inertial force greater than a pre-determined value acts on the mass body, the inertial lever will pivot from its initial position in a direction opposite of the interial force and avoid pressing the pawl, such that the fork is maintained in a locked state.

Claims

1. A vehicle door lock device, comprising:

a mounting member configured to be mounted on a door that opens and closes in a vehicle width direction relative to a vehicle body and formed with an entry opening, into which a striker fixed to the vehicle body is insertable;

a fork pivotably provided on the mounting member and configured to be switchable between a locked state, in which the striker would be locked within the entry opening, and a released state, in which locking of the striker within the entry opening is released;

a pawl pivotably provided on the mounting member and configured to selectively fix and allow pivoting of the fork; and

a switching lever configured to press the pawl and to switch the fork from the locking state to the released state,

wherein the switching lever includes a lever main body configured to be displaced by an opening operation of at least one of an exterior door handle and an interior door handle, an inertial lever provided on the lever main body so as to be pivotable from its initial position toward one side or the other about a pivot extending in a direction orthogonal to the vehicle width direction and which is configured to press the pawl if the inertial lever is disposed in its initial position and is displaced integrally with the lever main body, and a biasing member configured to apply a biasing force that urges the inertial lever towards its initial position,

wherein the biasing member is a torsion coil spring provided coaxially with the pivot between the lever main body and the inertial lever, and the inertial lever has a mass body,

wherein the biasing member and the mass body are configured such that if an inertial force greater than a pre-determined value acts on the mass body, the inertial lever pivots from the initial position about the pivot relative to the lever main body and avoids pressing the pawl, and

wherein the inertial lever is configured such that when the inertial lever pivots from the initial position due to the inertial force, its pivot angle is not limited by the lever main body.

2. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 1, wherein the lever main body is made of resin and the inertial lever is made of metal.

3. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 2, wherein the inertial lever is die-cast.

4. A vehicle door lock device, comprising:

a mounting member configured to be mounted on a vehicle door that opens and closes in a vehicle width direction relative to a vehicle body, the mounting member having an entry opening configured to receive a striker fixed to the vehicle body;

a fork pivotably disposed on the mounting member and configured to be switchable between a locked state, in which the striker would be locked within the entry opening, and an unlocked state, in which the striker would be free to be withdrawn from the entry opening;

a pawl pivotably disposed on the mounting member and configured to selectively cause the fork to pivot; and

a switching lever configured to selectively press the pawl and to switch the fork from the locked state to the unlocked state, the switching lever including;

a lever main body configured to be displaced by an opening operation of at least one of an exterior door handle and an interior door handle,

an inertial lever having a mass body pivotably disposed on the lever main body, the inertial lever being pivotable from an initial position about a pivot extending in a direction orthogonal to the vehicle width direction, and being configured to press the pawl so as to cause the fork to pivot and switch from the locked state to the unlocked state when the inertial lever is disposed in its initial position and is displaced together with the lever main body, and

a torsion coil spring configured to urge the inertial lever towards its initial position, the torsion coil spring being disposed coaxially with the pivot between the lever main body and the inertial lever,

wherein the torsion coil spring and the mass body are configured such that, when an inertial force greater than a pre-determined value acts on the mass body, the inertial lever will pivot in a direction opposite of the internal force from its initial position about the pivot relative to the lever main body against a biasing force of the torsion coil spring so as to avoid pressing the pawl and thereby causing the fork to remain in the locked state, and

the inertial lever is configured such that its pivot angle is not limited by the lever main body when the inertial lever pivots away from its initial position due to the inertial force.

5. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 4, wherein the lever main body is made of resin and the inertial lever is made of metal.

6. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 5, wherein the inertial lever comprises a die-cast zinc alloy.

7. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 6, wherein the internal lever is pivotable about the pivot from its initial position towards an exterior side of the vehicle door by a pivot angle greater than or equal to 45°

.

8. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 7, wherein the lever main body is configured to restrict the internal lever so that the internal lever does not pivot towards an interior side of the vehicle door farther than its initial position.

9. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 4, wherein the inertial lever comprises a die-cast zinc alloy.

10. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 4, wherein the internal lever is pivotable about the pivot from its initial position towards an exterior side of the vehicle door by a pivot angle greater than or equal to 45°

.

11. The vehicle door lock device according to claim 4, wherein the lever main body is configured to restrict the internal lever so that the internal lever does not pivot towards an interior side of the vehicle door farther than its initial position.

12. A vehicle door comprising:

a door body,

a key cylinder having a key insertion hole and mounted on the door body such that the key insertion hole is exposed on an exterior surface of the door body,

the vehicle door lock device according to claim 4, wherein the mounting member is mounted on a door body and the key cylinder is mechanically coupled to the switching lever.

13. A vehicle door comprising:

a door body,

a key cylinder having a key insertion hole and mounted on the door body such that the key insertion hole is exposed on an exterior surface of the door body,

the vehicle door lock device according to claim 8, wherein the mounting member is mounted on a door body and the key cylinder is mechanically coupled to the switching lever.