Outer handle device for vehicle door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11255113-B2
Application number	US-201816046588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2018
Priority date	Jan 26, 2018
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

An outer handle device for a vehicle door includes: a base mounted on an outer panel from an inside of the outer panel; an operating handle disposed on an outside of the outer panel and having a support shaft that extends along a swing axis on a support arm part entering the inside of the outer panel from the outside thereof; and a support member that is fitted to the base, engages with the support shaft from a rear, makes a front end of the support arm part abut against an abutment receiving part while the operating handle is swinging, and restrains displacement of the support shaft toward the outer panel. The base is provided with a restricting part that makes contact with the support arm part when the operating handle swings, thus restricting displacement of the operating handle in moving away inwardly from the outer panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An outer handle device configured to be installed on a vehicle door, said outer handle device comprising:
a base that is configured to be mounted on an outer panel of the vehicle door from an inside of the outer panel,
an operating handle that is configured to be disposed on an outside of the outer panel and includes a support arm part having a support shaft extending along a swing axis of the support arm part, the support arm part configured to enter the inside of the outer panel from the outside of the outer panel, and
a support member that is fitted to the base, engages with the support arm part from a rear side of the support arm part, and retains displacement of the operating handle in at least a vehicle fore-and-aft direction,
wherein the base comprises:
a pair of support side walls that are disposed on opposite sides of the support member and support the support member therebetween so as to be pivotally movable about a rotational axis between a standby position and an assembled position,
a pair of front and rear linking bodies that are disposed across a gap therebetween in a fore-and-aft direction and connect the support side walls to each other,
a restricting part that faces the outer panel in an installed configuration of the outer handle device, the restricting part contacting a restricting face formed on the support shaft, and
a reinforcing body that connects the linking bodies to each other and supports the restricting part,
wherein an inner portion of the support member fits into the gap formed between the linking bodies of the base,
and wherein the restricting part is configured to make contact with the support arm part of the operating handle when the operating handle swings during operation thereof, thus restricting displacement of the operating handle in moving away inwardly from the outer panel in the installed configuration of the outer handle device.

2. The outer handle device according to claim 1 , wherein the support member includes a barrel part, a pivoting base part disposed in front of the barrel part and having two rotary projections extending outwardly on opposite sides thereof, and at least one engagement portion extending outwardly from a rear part of the barrel part in a direction parallel to one of the rotary projections.

3. The outer handle device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the base comprises a cantilevered elastic wall disposed between the side walls thereof,
and the support member further comprises an attitude-retaining projection that is formed integrally with, and protrudes forwardly from a front face of the pivoting base part of the support member, the attitude-retaining projection configured to selectively contact an end portion of the cantilevered elastic wall.

4. The outer handle device of claim 2 , wherein each of the side walls of the base has a pivot hole formed therein for receiving one of the rotary projections of the support member, and wherein at least one of the side walls has an engagement recess formed therein for selectively receiving the engagement projection of the support member.

5. The outer handle device for a vehicle door according to claim 1 , wherein the support shaft has a cross-sectional shape along a plane perpendicular to the swing axis with opposed flattened portions, one of said flattened portions defining a restricting face.

6. An outer handle for a vehicle door, said outer handle device comprising:
a base that is configured to be mounted on an outer panel of the vehicle door from an inside of the outer panel, the base comprising a pair of spaced-apart support side walls;
an operating handle that is configured to be disposed outside of the outer panel, the operating handle comprising a support arm part configured to enter inside of the outer panel from outside of the outer panel, the support arm part having a support shaft extending along a swing axis and having a cross-sectional shape, along a plane perpendicular to the swing axis, with opposed flattened portions, one of said flattened portions defining a restricting face, and
a support member that is fitted to the base between the side walls, engages with the support arm part from a rear side of the support arm part, and retains displacement of the operating handle in at least a vehicle fore-and-aft direction, wherein the support member is pivotally movable around a rotational axis which is parallel to and spaced away from the swing axis,
the base being provided with a restricting part that is configured to be contacted by the support arm part of the operating handle when the operating handle swings during operation thereof, thus restricting displacement of the operating handle in moving away inwardly from the outer panel.

7. The outer handle for a vehicle door according to claim 6 , wherein the restricting part is formed integrally with the base so as to face the outer panel in the installed configuration of the outer handle, and wherein the restricting part is in contact with a restricting face formed on the support shaft.

8. The outer handle for a vehicle door according to claim 6 , wherein the support member is disposed between the support side walls and supported so as to be pivotally movable about the rotational axis between a standby position and an assembled position.

9. The outer handle for a vehicle door according to claim 8 , wherein the base further comprises a pair of front and rear linking bodies that are disposed across a gap in a fore-and-aft direction, the linking bodies connecting the support side walls to each other, and a reinforcing body that connects the linking bodies to each other and supports the restricting part.

10. The outer handle for a vehicle door according to claim 6 , wherein the support member includes a barrel part, a pivoting base part in front of the barrel part and having two rotary projections extending outwardly on opposite sides thereof, and at least one engagement portion extending outwardly from a rear part of the barrel part in a direction parallel to one of the rotary projections.

11. The outer handle according to claim 10 , wherein:
the base comprises a cantilevered elastic wall disposed between the side walls,
and the support member further comprises an attitude-retaining projection that is formed integrally with, and protrudes forwardly from a front face of the pivoting base part, the attitude-retaining projection configured to selectively contact an end portion of the cantilevered elastic wall during operation of the handle.

12. The outer handle of claim 10 , wherein each of the side walls has a pivot hole formed therein for receiving one of the rotary projections of the support member, and wherein at least one of the side walls has an engagement recess formed therein for selectively receiving the engagement projection of the support member.

13. The outer handle for a vehicle door according to claim 6 , wherein an inner portion of the support member fits into the gap formed between the linking bodies of the base.

14. An outer handle for a vehicle door, said outer handle device comprising:
a base that is configured to be mounted on an outer panel of the vehicle door from an inside of the outer panel, the base comprising a pair of spaced-apart support side walls, the base comprising a pair of front and rear linking bodies that are disposed across a gap in a fore-and-aft direction, the linking bodies connecting the support side walls to each other, and a reinforcing body that connects the linking bodies to each other;
an operating handle that is configured to be disposed outside of the outer panel, the operating handle comprising a supp

Assignees

• Honda Lock Kk

Inventors

• Saitou Yasuhiro
• Ooyama tatsuya

Classifications

• E05B77/36 Primary

  Noise prevention; Anti-rattling means · CPC title

• E05B85/16 Primary

  a longitudinal grip part being pivoted at one end about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the grip part · CPC title