Vehicle door opening/closing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299918-B2
Application number	US-201816204218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle door opening/closing device includes: door lock devices each installed in a door and including a latch mechanism and an open lever capable of transmitting a releasing operation force to the latch mechanism; a fully closing lock releasing member rotatably provided in the door and rotating based on the releasing operation force; cables whose both terminals are connected to the open levers and the fully closing lock releasing member and causing the open levers to rotate to a releasing operation positions from an initial positions; and lost motion mechanisms at least one of which is disposed on the fully closing lock releasing member side of the cables and that, when one of the open levers is bound at the releasing operation position, allow the remainder of the open levers to return to the initial position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle door opening/closing device comprising:
a plurality of door lock devices each of which is installed in a door of a vehicle and includes a latch mechanism that is capable of holding the door in a closed state and an open lever that is capable of transmitting a releasing operation force to the latch mechanism when the open lever rotates from an initial position to a releasing operation position, the releasing operation force being a force that releases the door held by the latch mechanism;
a fully closing lock releasing member that is rotatably provided in the door while being linked to an operation handle and that rotates based on the releasing operation force applied to the operation handle;
a plurality of cables whose both terminals are connected to the open levers of the plurality of door lock devices and the fully closing lock releasing member and that cause the open levers to rotate to the releasing operation positions from the initial positions when the fully closing lock releasing member rotates; and
a plurality of lost motion mechanisms at least one of which is disposed on the fully closing lock releasing member side of the plurality of cables,
wherein, when the open lever of one of the plurality of door lock devices is bound at the releasing operation position due to a malfunction, the open levers of the remainder of the plurality of door lock devices are allowed to return to the initial position by a restoring mechanism operatively acting on the fully closing lock releasing lever, allowing another one of the plurality of door lock devices to hold the door in the closed state.

2. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of lost motion mechanisms includes
an elongated hole that is formed in any one of the open lever of each of the plurality of door lock devices and a fully closing lock releasing lever as the fully closing lock releasing member, and
a sliding portion that is provided at the terminal of each of the cables and connects the terminal to the corresponding open lever or the fully closing lock releasing lever such that the sliding portion is inserted to be able to slide along the elongated hole.

3. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the sliding portion is inserted into the elongated hole to clamp a circumferential edge portion of the elongated hole, and
the circumferential edge portion of the elongated hole that is pulled by the sliding portion when the fully closing lock releasing member rotates is formed with a thick portion whose thickness is larger than a thickness of a circumferential edge portion of the elongated hole other than the thick portion.

4. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a plurality of return springs that urge the open levers of the plurality of door lock devices such that the open levers rotate to the initial positions.

5. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a plurality of return springs that urge the open levers of the plurality of door lock devices such that the open levers rotate to the initial positions.

6. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 2 ,
wherein at least one of the plurality of lost motion mechanisms is disposed on the open lever side of the plurality of cables.

7. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 3 ,
wherein at least one of the plurality of lost motion mechanisms is disposed on the open lever side of the plurality of cables.

8. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 4 ,
wherein at least one of the plurality of lost motion mechanisms is disposed on the open lever side of the plurality of cables.

9. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 5 ,
wherein at least one of the plurality of lost motion mechanisms is disposed on the open lever side of the plurality of cables.

10. A vehicle door opening/closing device comprising:
a plurality of door lock devices each of which is installed in a door of a vehicle and includes a latch mechanism that is capable of holding the door in a closed state and an open lever that is capable of transmitting a releasing operation force to the latch mechanism when the open lever rotates from an initial position to a releasing operation position, the releasing operation force being a force that releases the door held by the latch mechanism;
a fully closing lock releasing member that is rotatably provided in the door while being linked to an operation handle and that rotates based on the releasing operation force applied to the operation handle;
a plurality of cables whose both terminals are connected to the open levers of the plurality of door lock devices and the fully closing lock releasing member and that cause the open levers to rotate to the releasing operation positions from the initial positions when the fully closing lock releasing member rotates; and
a lost motion mechanism that is disposed on the fully closing lock releasing member side of the plurality of cables,
wherein, when the open lever of one of the plurality of door lock devices is bound at the releasing operation position due to a malfunction, the open levers of the remainder of the plurality of door lock devices are allowed to return to the initial position by a restoring mechanism operatively acting on the fully closing lock releasing lever, allowing another one of the plurality of door lock devices to hold the door in the closed state.

11. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the number of the door lock devices is two,
the fully closing lock releasing member is configured of a first fully closing lock releasing lever that is connected to any one of the open levers of the two door lock devices via the cable and a second fully closing lock releasing lever that is connected to the other of the open levers of the two door lock devices via the cable and that is driven by the first fully closing lock releasing lever, and
the lost motion mechanism includes
an elongated hole formed in the first fully closing lock releasing lever, and
a sliding portion that is provided at the terminal of the cable connected to the first fully closing lock releasing lever and is inserted to be able to slide along the elongated hole.

12. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of door lock devices are a rear lock and a front lock, and
the vehicle door opening/closing device further comprises:
a first switch that detects whether the door is held in the closed state by the latch mechanism of the rear lock;
a second switch that detects whether the open lever of the front lock is at the initial position;
a determination unit that determines that the front lock is in an abnormal state when the first switch detects that the door is held in the closed state by the latch mechanism of the rear lock and the second switch detects that the open lever of the front lock is not at the initial position; and
a notification unit that performs notification when the determination unit determines that the front lock is in the abnormal state.

13. The vehicle door opening/closing device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the plurality of door lock devices are a rear lock and a front lock, and
the vehicle door opening/closing device further comprises:
a first switch that detects whether the door is held in the closed state by the latch mechanism of the rear lock;
a second switch that detects whether the open lever of the front lock is at th

Assignees

• Aisin Corp

Inventors

• Yamane Ryohei
• Machida Toshio
• Yamaguchi Junji
• Matsumoto Keisuke
• Takeno Satoshi
• Nagaya Yasuhiro

Classifications

• E05B81/16

  operating on locking elements for locking or unlocking action · CPC title

• E05B81/20 Primary

  for assisting final closing or for initiating opening · CPC title

• E05B79/20

  using flexible connections, e.g. Bowden cables · CPC title

• E05C3/12

  with latching action (devices in which the securing part is formed or merely carried by a spring and moves only by distortion of the spring, e.g. snaps, E05C19/06; tilt-plate latches E05C19/007) · CPC title

• E05B83/40

  for sliding doors · CPC title