JP2025090369A - Locking device for vehicle opening/closing member - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent an opening/closing member from being hardly opened due to re-locking after releasing a half lock state, and subsequently to enable the opening/closing member to be locked in a closed state when closing the opening/closing member.SOLUTION: A lock device for a vehicle opening/closing member comprises: a latch; a pole that is energized in one direction around a shaft center of a rotation shaft by an energizing member and restricts the rotation by engaging with the latch; an open lever to rotate the pole in the other direction around the shaft center of the rotation shaft; and a sub lever that is rotatably connected to the open lever and can engage with the pole. A half lock engaging part to engage with the pole at a half lock position and a full lock engaging part to engage with the pole at a full lock position are formed on the latch. When engagement between the pole and the half lock engaging part is released, the sub lever in a state of engaging with the pole abuts against the latch, and restricts the rotation caused by the energizing member in one direction of the pole until the latch has a prescribed rotation angle on an open side with respect to the half lock position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 23

Description

This specification discloses a locking device for a vehicle opening and closing member.

A conventional locking device for vehicle opening/closing members includes a latch that engages with a striker as it rotates to lock the hood in a fully closed state, and a secondary lever that includes a hook portion that engages with the striker as it rotates to lock the hood in a slightly open state, and a latch retainer that restricts the latch engaged with the striker from rotating in the striker opening direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this locking device, when the hood is closed, the striker engages with the striker engagement groove of the latch, and the latch retainer of the secondary lever engages with the latch engagement recess to restrict the latch from returning to the open position (full lock state). When the secondary lever is operated from inside the vehicle to rotate slightly away from the latch against the biasing force, the latch retainer escapes from the engagement recess, and the latch rotates in the open direction. As the latch rotates, the striker is pushed by the latch to engage with the hook portion of the secondary lever, and the hood is held in a slightly open state (half lock state). Then, by operating the secondary lever from inside the vehicle and rotating it widely against the biasing force, the striker disengages from the hook portion, allowing the hood to be opened (open state).

JP 2010-65427 A

However, if a load acts on the opening/closing member in the closing direction due to snow accumulation on the opening/closing member, the member may immediately relock even after the half-locked state is released. In this case, the unlocking operation may have to be repeated many times, making it difficult to open the opening/closing member.

The locking device for a vehicle opening/closing member disclosed herein is a locking device for a vehicle opening/closing member that can be switched between an open state, a half-locked state, and a full-locked state. The main purpose of the locking device is to prevent the opening/closing member from becoming difficult to open by re-locking it after releasing the half-locked state, and to enable the opening/closing member to be locked in the closed state when the opening/closing member is next closed after it has been opened.

The vehicle opening/closing member locking device disclosed herein employs the following measures to achieve the above-mentioned primary objective.

The locking device for a vehicle opening/closing member of the present disclosure is
a base member fixed to one of an opening/closing member and a vehicle body of the vehicle;
a latch that is rotatable relative to the base member and that can engage with a striker fixed to the other of the opening/closing member and the vehicle body;
a pole that is rotatable with respect to the base member, that is biased in one direction about an axis of a rotation shaft by a biasing member, and that is capable of engaging with the latch by rotating in the one direction about the axis of the rotation shaft to restrict rotation of the latch;
A locking device for an opening/closing member for a vehicle, the locking device locking the opening/closing member in a fully closed position by engaging the striker with the latch,
an open lever that is rotatable with respect to the base member and that is capable of rotating the pole in another direction opposite to the one direction about an axis of a rotation shaft so as to release the engagement between the pole and the latch;
a sub-lever rotatably connected to the open lever and engageable with the pawl;
Equipped with
The latch is formed with a half-lock engaging portion that engages with the pole at a half-lock position and a full-lock engaging portion that engages with the pole at a full-lock position, the half-lock engaging portion being aligned in a circumferential direction,
The gist of the present invention is that when the engagement between the pole and the half-lock engagement portion is released, the sub-lever abuts against the latch while engaged with the pole, thereby restricting the rotation of the pole in one direction by the biasing member until the latch reaches a predetermined rotation angle toward the open side from the half-lock position.

In the locking device for vehicle opening/closing members disclosed herein, when the pole rotates in the other direction opposite to the one direction urged by the urging member and disengages from the half-lock engagement portion, the sub-lever abuts against the latch to restrict the pole's rotation in one direction by the urging member until the rotation angle of the latch reaches a predetermined rotation angle toward the open side from the half-lock state. This makes it possible to prevent the pole from rotating in one direction and re-engaging with the half-lock engagement portion of the latch. In addition, when the latch rotates to the open side beyond the predetermined rotation angle, the restriction on the pole's rotation is released, so that the pole can rotate in one direction by the urging member and engage with the latch. As a result, after the half-lock state is released to open the opening/closing member, the opening/closing member is re-locked to prevent the opening/closing member from becoming difficult to open, and after the opening/closing member is opened, the opening/closing member can be locked in the closed state when the opening/closing member is next closed.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a hood lock device as a lock device for a vehicle opening/closing member according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a front external perspective view of the hood lock device. FIG. 2 is a front external perspective view of the hood lock device excluding the cover member. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the hood lock device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the hood lock device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a latch. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a pole. 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing an open state, a half-locked state, and a full-locked state of a latch. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a pole, an open lever, and a sub lever. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sub-lever. 4A and 4B are schematic configuration diagrams of a closing lever and a hook member. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing how the latch is moved to a full lock position by the close lever. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing how the latch is moved to a full lock position by the close lever. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device when starting a full lock release operation. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood locking device when the open lever comes into contact with the pole after starting the full lock release operation. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device when the full lock is released. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device in a half-locked state. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood locking device when the pawl engages with the half engagement surface and the open lever returns to the initial position. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device when starting the half-lock release operation. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device when the sub-lever comes into contact with the pole after starting the half-lock release operation. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device when the half lock is released. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device when the half-lock release operation is completed. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood locking device when preventing re-locking after the half-lock release operation is completed; FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood locking device when the striker is pushed in while relocking is being prevented. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device when the latch contacts the sub-lever when fully locking from the open state. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device immediately before being fully locked. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the hood lock device in a fully locked state. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sub-lever according to another embodiment. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a hood locking device when re-locking is prevented by using a sub-lever according to another embodiment. FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a hood locking device according to another embodiment when the striker is pushed in while preventing relocking using a sub-lever.

The embodiment for implementing this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a vehicle 1 equipped with a hood lock device 10 as a lock device for a vehicle opening/closing member of the present disclosure, FIGS. 2 and 3 are external perspective views of the front side of the hood lock device 10, FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the rear side of the hood lock device 10, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the hood lock device 10. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the latch 20, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the pole 30, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the open state, half-lock state, and full-lock state of the latch 20. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the pole 30, the open lever 40, and the sub-lever 50, FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the sub-lever 50, and FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the close lever 60 and the hook member 65.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a front trunk T as a storage space installed at the front of the vehicle body 2, a hood 4 supported on the vehicle body 2 via hinges 3 so as to be able to rotate up and down so as to cover the front trunk T, an extendable support member 5 interposed between the vehicle body 2 and the hood 4, a hood opening/closing device (not shown) that electrically extends and retracts the support member 5 to open and close the hood 4, and a hood locking device 10 of this embodiment that locks the hood 4 in a fully closed position. The hood locking device 10 is installed at the opening of the front trunk T so as to be able to engage with a striker 6 fixed to the inner surface of the front end of the hood 4.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the hood lock device 10 includes a base member 11 that is fixed to the vehicle body 2 and has a striker groove 11a formed therein for receiving the striker 6, a cover member 12 that is fixed to the base member 11 so as to cover the inside of the hood lock device 10 together with the base member 11, a latch 20 that is rotatable relative to the base member 11 and can engage with the striker 6 fixed to the hood 4, a pole 30 that is rotatable relative to the base member 11 and engages with the latch 20 to restrict the rotation of the latch 20, a close lever 60 that engages with the latch 20 and can rotate therewith, a hook member 65 that is rotatably connected to the close lever 60, a closer drive device 70, an open lever 40 that engages with the pole 30 and can rotate therewith, and a sub-lever 50 that is rotatably connected to the open lever 40.

The latch 20 can rotate around the axis of a rotation axis AX1 fixed to the base member 11. As shown in FIG. 6, the latch 20 has a locking portion 24 at a position radially spaced from the rotation axis AX1, and one end of a latch spring 26 (torsion spring) is locked to the base member 11 at the other end of the locking portion 24. As a result, the latch 20 is biased in the counterclockwise direction (the open side that releases the striker 6) in FIG. 6 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1.

6, the latch 20 has first and second claws 21, 22 that define a notch 23 that engages with the striker 6. The second claw 22 has an open engagement surface 22a that engages with the pole 30 in the open state (striker 6 is open), a half engagement surface 22b that engages with the pole 30 in the half-locked state (hood 4 is slightly open), and a full engagement surface 22c that engages with the pole 30 in the full-locked state (hood 4 is fully closed). The open engagement surface 22a, half engagement surface 22b, and full engagement surface 22c are formed on the outer periphery of the second claw 22 so as to be aligned in this order in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6. The open engagement surface 22a is an arc-shaped surface centered on the rotation axis AX1. The half engagement surface 22b and full engagement surface 22c are planar surfaces that extend radially of the latch 20. The rotation angle of the latch 20 when the pawl 30 engages with the half engagement surface 22b is referred to as the half lock position, and the rotation angle of the latch 20 when the pawl 30 engages with the full engagement surface 22c is referred to as the full lock position. The distance ra from the center O of the rotation axis AX1 of the latch 20 to the open engagement surface 22a is longer than the distance rb from the center O of the rotation axis AX1 to the end of the half engagement surface 22b on the rotation axis AX1 side, and the distance rb is longer than the distance rc from the center O of the rotation axis AX1 to the end of the full engagement surface 22c on the rotation axis AX1 side.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 6, an engagement block portion 25 is formed on the side surface (the surface on the axial side of the pivot axis AX1) of the second claw portion 22, which protrudes in the axial direction of the pivot axis AX1 and extends in an arc shape centered on the pivot axis AX1 from the vicinity of the full engagement surface 22c to the middle of the open engagement surface 22a. The engagement block portion 25 is formed with a hook engagement surface 25a with which the hook member 65 rotatably connected to the close lever 60 can engage, first and second sublever abutment surfaces 25b, 25c with which the sublever 50 can abut, and a pop-up engagement surface 25d with which the close lever 60 can engage. The hook engagement surface 25a is formed by a planar surface extending radially from the pivot axis AX1 so that the hook member 65 can engage when the latch 20 is positioned on the open side (retraction start position) rather than the half-lock position. The latch 20 can be rotated clockwise (close side) in FIG. 7 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1 together with the close lever 60 by the power from the closer drive device 70 with the hook member 65 engaged with the hook engagement surface 25a. The first sublever abutment surface 25b is formed by a flat surface extending in the radial direction of the rotation axis AX1 on the open engagement surface 22a side of the second claw portion 22. The second sublever abutment surface 25c is formed by a convex curved surface extending in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis AX1 from the end in the radial direction of the first sublever abutment surface 25b. The pop-up engagement surface 25d is formed by a flat surface extending in the radial direction of the rotation axis AX1 on the open engagement surface 22a side of the second claw portion 22.

The pole 30 is a plate-shaped member that can rotate around the axis of rotation AX2 that is fixed to the base member 11 in parallel with the axis of rotation AX1. As shown in Figs. 4 and 7, the pole 30 has a locking portion 35 that is inserted into a guide hole 11c that is an elongated hole formed in the base member 11 so as to form an arc shape centered on the axis of rotation AX2, and the locking portion 35 is engaged with one end of a pole spring 36 (coil spring) whose other end is engaged with the base member 11. As a result, the pole 30 is biased in the clockwise direction (one direction) in Fig. 7 around the axis of rotation axis AX2.

8(a), 8(b) and 8(c), the pawl 30 has an engagement portion 31 extending radially from the pivot axis AX2 so as to be able to engage with the open engagement surface 22a, the half engagement surface 22b and the full engagement surface 22c of the latch 20. The pawl 30 rotates clockwise (one direction) in FIG. 8 around the axis of the pivot axis AX2 as the engagement portion 31 engages with the open engagement surface 22a, the half engagement surface 22b and the full engagement surface 22c in turn. The pawl 30 releases the engagement of the engagement portion 31 with the full engagement surface 22c and the half engagement surface 22b in turn as the pawl 30 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) in FIG. 8 around the axis of the pivot axis AX2. The rotation angle of the pole 30 when the pole 30 engages with the latch 20 at the full engagement surface 22c is referred to as the full engagement rotation angle (first rotation angle), and the rotation angle of the pole 30 when the pole 30 engages with the latch 20 at the half engagement surface 22b is referred to as the half engagement rotation angle (second rotation angle). Also, the rotation angle of the pole 30 when the pole 30 engages with the latch 20 at the open engagement surface 22a is referred to as the open engagement rotation angle.

Furthermore, the pole 30 has a full release pressed part 32 (first pressed part) with which the open lever 40 can engage in the circumferential direction of the pivot axis AX2, a half release pressed part 33 (second pressed part) with which the sublever 50 can engage in the circumferential direction of the pivot axis AX2, a first sublever support part 34a capable of supporting the sublever 50 at a position in the radial direction of the pivot axis AX2 where the sublever 50 can engage with the half release pressed part 33, and a second sublever support part 34b capable of supporting the sublever 50 at a position in the radial direction of the pivot axis AX2 where the sublever 50 cannot engage with the half release pressed part 33. The full release pressed part 32 is a protruding part that protrudes radially from the pivot axis AX2 so as to be pressed in the circumferential direction of the pivot axis AX2 by the open lever 40 at a position different from the engagement part 31. The half-release pressed portion 33 is a surface extending radially from the pivot axis AX2 so as to be pressed in the circumferential direction of the pivot axis AX2 by the sub-lever 50 at a position different from the engagement portion 31 and the full-release pressed portion 32. The first sub-lever support portion 34a is a surface extending in the circumferential direction of the pivot axis AX2 (counterclockwise in FIG. 7) from the end of the half-release pressed portion 33 on the pivot axis AX2 side in the radial direction. The second sub-lever support portion 34b is a surface extending in the circumferential direction of the pivot axis AX2 (clockwise in FIG. 7) from the end of the half-release pressed portion 33 on the outer periphery in the radial direction.

The open lever 40 is a plate-like member that is overlapped with the pole 30 in the axial direction of the rotation axis AX2, and can rotate coaxially with the pole 30 around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 as shown in FIG. 9. The open lever 40 has an engagement portion 42 that can engage with the full release pressed portion 32 (first pressed portion) of the pole 30, and first and second operated portions 43, 44 for operating (rotating) the open lever 40. The engagement portion 42 is engaged with the full release pressed portion 32 in the clockwise direction (one direction) in FIG. 9 when the pole 30 is positioned at the full engagement rotation angle (first rotation angle), and extends radially from the rotation axis AX2 so as to be unable to engage with the full release pressed portion 32 when the pole 30 is positioned at the half engagement rotation angle (second rotation angle). In this embodiment, the engaging portion 42 is configured as a bent portion bent toward the pole 30 at an end extending radially from the pivot axis AX2. This allows the engaging portion 42 to be formed by simpler processing. The first operated portion 43 is formed on the outer periphery of the open lever 40 so as to be engageable with the sector gear 74 which rotates by the operation of the closer drive device 70. The open lever 40 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (the other direction) in FIG. 9 as the sector gear 74 rotates in a state where the sector gear 74 engages with the first operated portion 43. The second operated portion 44 is formed at a position different from the first operated portion 43 on the outer periphery of the open lever 40. One end of a cable 80 (see FIG. 3) is engaged with the second operated portion 44, and the other end of the cable 80 is engaged with a lock release lever (not shown) arranged in the vehicle cabin. The open lever 40 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) in Fig. 9 when the cable 80 is pulled by the operation of the unlocking lever by the operator. Then, in a fully locked state where the pawl 30 is positioned at the full engagement rotation angle, the open lever 40 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) in Fig. 9 so that the engaging portion 42 of the open lever 40 engages with the full release pressed portion 32 of the pawl 30. Then, the pawl 30 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) in Fig. 9 together with the open lever 40 as the full release pressed portion 32 is pressed by the open lever 40, and the engaging portion 31 is released from the full engagement surface 22c of the latch 20. This allows the full locked state to be released by operating the closer drive device 70 or operating the unlocking lever. Here, the stroke amount (rotation amount) of the open lever 40 rotated by one operation of the closer drive device 70 or one operation of the lock release lever is adjusted to the amount required to release the full lock state, that is, the amount required for the pawl 30 to rotate counterclockwise (the other direction) in FIG. 9 from the state in which the engagement part 31 of the pawl 30 is engaged with the full engagement surface 22c (full engagement rotation angle) to the state in which the engagement part 31 is disengaged from the full engagement surface 22c (half engagement rotation angle), plus a small margin. In this embodiment, the half lock state can also be released by stroking (rotating) the open lever 40 by approximately the same amount from the initial position after the full lock state is released, but details will be described later.

The open lever 40 also has an arc-shaped guide hole 41. The guide hole 41 is formed so as to have an arc shape centered on the rotation axis AX1 (the rotation axis of the close lever 60) when the open lever 40 is in the initial position.

The sub-lever 50 is a plate-like member interposed between the pole 30 and the open lever 40, and as shown in FIG. 9, the base end is connected to the open lever 40 so as to be freely rotatable via a rotation axis AX3 parallel to the rotation axis AX2. The tip of the sub-lever 50 is the free end 51. The outer peripheral surface of the free end 51 is formed by a concave curved surface that is slightly recessed in an arc shape. As shown in FIG. 10, the sub-lever 50 has an engagement portion 53 formed on the side between the base end and the free end 51, and a locking portion 52 formed on the side on the base end side of the engagement portion 53. As shown in FIG. 2, the other end of the sub-lever spring 54, one end of which is locked to the cover member 12, is locked to the locking portion 52. In this embodiment, the sub-lever spring 54 is a coil spring, and biases the open lever 40 around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 via the sub-lever 50 in the clockwise direction (one direction) in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, the engaging portion 53 is configured as a bent portion bent toward the pole 30. This allows the engaging portion 53 to be formed by simpler processing. The engaging portion 53 is located near the second sublever support portion 34b of the pole 30 when the pole 30 is located at the full engagement rotation angle (first rotation angle) and is in a state in which it cannot engage with the half release pressed portion 33 (second pressed portion). In addition, the engaging portion 53 is located near the first sublever support portion 34a of the pole 30 when the pole 30 is located at the half engagement rotation angle (second rotation angle) and is in a state in which it can engage with the half release pressed portion 33. In a state where the engaging portion 53 of the sublever 50 is located near the first sublever support portion 34a, i.e., in a half-locked state where the pawl 30 is located in a half-engaged rotational position, the open lever 40 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) in FIG. 9, so that the engaging portion 53 of the sublever 50 engages with the half-release pressed portion 33 of the pawl 30. Then, as the open lever 40 rotates, the half-release pressed portion 33 is pressed by the sublever 50, so that the pawl 30 rotates further counterclockwise (the other direction) in FIG. 9 from the half-engaged rotational angle to the open-engaged rotational angle together with the open lever 40. As a result, the half-locked state can be released by operating (rotating) the open lever 40 by operating the closer drive device 70 or operating the lock release lever, in the same manner as the release of the full-locked state. Here, the amount of rotation of the pole 30 from the full engagement rotation angle to the half engagement rotation angle is approximately the same as the amount of rotation of the pole 30 from the half engagement rotation angle to the open engagement rotation angle, and the full lock state and the half lock state can be released by stroking (rotating) the open lever 40 the same amount from the initial position. This allows the full lock state and the half lock state to be released individually using a simple mechanism.

The close lever 60 can rotate coaxially with the latch 20 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1, and has an engagement portion 61 that can engage with the latch 20, a locking portion 62 to which a pop-up spring 64 that biases the close lever 60 is locked, and an operated portion 63 for operating (rotating) the close lever 60, as shown in FIG. 11. The engagement portion 61 extends in the radial direction of the rotation axis AX1 so as to be able to engage with the pop-up engagement surface 25d formed on the engagement block portion 25 of the latch 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the other end of the pop-up spring 64, one end of which is locked to the base member 11, is locked to the locking portion 62. In this embodiment, the pop-up spring 64 is a coil spring, and biases the close lever 60 in the counterclockwise direction (open side) in FIG. 11 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1. The latch 20 engages with the engagement portion 61 of the close lever 60 at the pop-up engagement surface 25d, and is biased toward the open side around the axis of the rotation axis AX1 together with the close lever 60 by the biasing force of the pop-up spring 64. As a result, when the half-locked state is released, the latch 20 (second claw portion 22) pushes out the striker 6, allowing the hood 4 to pop up to a slightly open state. The locking portion 62 is inserted into a guide hole 11b formed in the base member 11 in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis AX1. The guide hole 11b defines the range of the biasing force of the pop-up spring 64 on the close lever 60 (latch 20). In this embodiment, the guide hole 11b is formed so as to bias the latch 20 toward the open side from the stroke end on the close side of the full lock position to a position on the open side of the half lock position.

The operated part 63 is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to protrude in a direction parallel to the rotation axis AX2 from a position spaced apart from the rotation axis AX2 of the close lever 60 so that the sector gear 74 can engage with it. As the operated part 63 is pressed as the sector gear 74 rotates, the close lever 60 rotates in the clockwise direction (close side) in FIG. 11 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1.

3, the closer drive device 70 has a closer motor 71, an output gear 73 that meshes with a sector gear 74, and a reduction gear mechanism 72 that reduces the power from the closer motor 71 and transmits it to the output gear 73. The sector gear 74 is rotatable around the axis of a rotation axis AX5 that is parallel to the rotation axes AX1 and AX2, and has a fan-shaped gear portion 74a that meshes with the output gear 73, a closing engagement portion 74b that extends radially from the rotation axis AX5 at a position different from the gear portion 74a, and an opening engagement portion 74c that extends radially from the rotation axis AX5 at a position different from the gear portion 74a and the closing engagement portion 74b. The sector gear 74 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 due to the power transmitted from the closer drive device 70, so that the close engagement part 74b engages with the operated part 63 of the close lever 60 and rotates the close lever 60 clockwise (close side) in FIG. 3 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1. The sector gear 74 also rotates clockwise in FIG. 3 due to the power in the reverse rotation direction transmitted from the closer drive device 70, so that the open engagement part 74c engages with the first operated part 43 of the open lever 40 and rotates the open lever 40 counterclockwise (the other direction) in FIG. 3 around the axis of the rotation axis AX2.

As shown in FIG. 11, the hook member 65 is rotatably connected at its base end to the close lever 60 via a rotation axis AX4 parallel to the rotation axis AX1. At the tip of the hook member 65, an engagement claw 66 extending toward the second claw portion 22 (engagement block portion 25) of the latch 20 and a cylindrical insertion portion 67 protruding in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the rotation axis AX4 are formed. The insertion portion 67 is inserted into the guide hole 41 of the open lever 40. As described above, the open lever 40 is biased in the clockwise direction in FIG. 12 around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 via the sub-lever 50 by the sub-lever spring 54, and the hook member 65 is biased toward the second claw portion 22 (engagement block portion 25) of the latch 20 by the biasing force acting on the open lever 40.

12, the engagement claw 66 of the hook member 65 engages with the hook engagement surface 25a formed on the engagement block portion 25 of the latch 20 when the latch 20 is positioned at a rotation angle (retraction start position) on the open side from the half latch position. When the closing engagement portion 74b of the sector gear 74 engages with the operated portion 63 by the operation of the closer drive device 70 and the operated portion 63 is pressed, the close lever 60 rotates clockwise (close side) in FIG. 12 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1, and the hook member 65 (engagement claw 66) connected to the close lever 60 moves in an arc-shaped trajectory centered on the rotation axis AX1 along the guide hole 41 of the open lever 40. As a result, the latch 20 rotates clockwise (close side) in FIG. 12 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1 together with the close lever 60, and the first claw portion 21 retracts the striker 6. As the latch 20 rotates, the pawl 30 sequentially engages with the half engagement surface 22b and the full engagement surface 22c at the engagement portion 31. As shown in FIG. 13, the pawl 30 engages with the full engagement surface 22c at the engagement portion 31, locking the latch 20 so that it cannot rotate when the latch 20 is engaged with the striker 6 at the notch 23 (full lock position).

In the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the hood 4 can be opened and closed manually by the operator, and can also be opened and closed electrically by a hood opening and closing device. When the hood 4 is fully closed electrically, the control device of the vehicle 1 controls the hood opening and closing device so that the hood 4 rotates in the closing direction when the operator instructs to fully close the hood 4 by operating a remote control or the like. As the hood 4 rotates in the closing direction, the striker 6 formed on the hood 4 enters the striker groove 11a of the base member 11 and abuts against and presses the second claw portion 22 of the latch 20 in the open state, rotating the latch 20 to the closed side. The control device of the vehicle 1 controls the hood opening and closing device so that the hood 4 rotates in the closing direction until the latch 20 reaches the retraction start position. When the latch 20 reaches the retraction start position, the hook member 65 connected to the close lever 60 engages with the latch 20. Then, the control device of the vehicle 1 controls the closer motor 71 so that the close lever 60 rotates to the closed side. The latch 20 rotates together with the close lever 60 to the close side, retracting the striker 6 and engaging with the pole 30 at the full lock position to lock it in place. This locks the hood 4 in the fully closed position.

Next, the operation when the operator operates the unlock lever to release the full-locked state or the half-locked state will be described. In the hood lock device 10 of this embodiment, when the unlock lever is operated once in the full-locked state, the device enters the half-locked state, and when the unlock lever is operated once more in the half-locked state, the device enters the open state. In other words, in the hood lock device 10 of this embodiment, it is necessary to operate the unlock lever twice to go from the full-locked state to the open state. By preventing a direct transition from the full-locked state to the open state, it is possible to prevent the hood 4 from being opened unexpectedly.

First, the operation of the hood lock device 10 when releasing the full lock state will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 18. As shown in Figure 14, in the full lock state, the engaging portion 53 of the sub-lever 50 is located near the second sub-lever support portion 34b of the pole 30 and cannot engage with the half release pressed portion 33 (second pressed portion).

When the operator operates the unlocking lever once in the full-lock state, the cable 80 is pulled, and the open lever 40 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) in FIG. 14 around the axis of the pivot axis AX2. When the open lever 40 rotates, the engaging portion 42 of the open lever 40 contacts (engages) the full-release pressed portion 32 (first pressed portion) of the pole 30 as shown in FIG. 15. Then, as the open lever 40 rotates, the pole 30 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) in FIG. 15 from the full-engagement rotation angle (first rotation angle) around the axis of the pivot axis AX2 together with the open lever 40. When the open lever 40 rotates to just before its full stroke, the pole 30 reaches the half-engagement rotation angle (second rotation angle), and the engaging portion 31 of the pole 30 disengages from the full-engagement surface 22c of the latch 20 as shown in FIG. 16. This releases the full-lock state. Because the latch 20 is biased in the counterclockwise direction (open side) in FIG. 16 around the axis of the rotation axis AX1, it rotates to the open side when the full-lock state is released. When the latch 20 rotates to the open side, as shown in FIG. 17, the engagement portion 31 of the pole 30 engages with the half-engagement surface 22b of the latch 20, and the pole 30 locks the latch 20 in the half-lock position. This causes a transition from the full-lock state to the half-lock state.

When the operator releases the operation of the unlock lever and the tension on the cable 80 is released, the open lever 40 rotates clockwise (one direction) around the axis of the pivot axis AX2 due to the biasing force of the sublever spring 54, and returns to the initial position. Since the pole 30 is positioned counterclockwise (the other direction) around the axis of the pivot axis AX2 at the half-engagement pivot angle (second pivot angle) rather than at the full-engagement pivot angle (first pivot angle), when the open lever 40 returns to the initial position in the half-locked state, the open lever 40 is in a position rotated clockwise (one direction) around the axis of the pivot axis AX2 relative to the pole 30 in FIG. As a result, the engaging portion 53 of the sublever 50 connected to the open lever 40 detaches from the second sublever support portion 34b and is positioned near the first sublever support portion 34a, making it possible for the sublever 50 to come into contact (engage) with the half-release pressed portion 33 (second pressed portion). This allows the simple configuration of the pole 30, open lever 40, and sublever 50 to switch between a state in which the sublever 50 cannot engage with the half-release pressed portion 33 and a state in which it can engage with the half-release pressed portion 33.

Next, the operation for releasing the half-locked state will be explained with reference to Figures 19 to 22.

When the operator operates the unlocking lever once more in the half-locked state, the cable 80 is pulled, and the open lever 40 rotates counterclockwise (in the other direction) around the axis of the pivot axis AX2 in FIG. 19. Since the pole 30 is positioned counterclockwise (in the other direction) around the axis of the pivot axis AX2 at the half-engagement pivot angle in FIG. 19 more than at the full-engagement pivot angle, even if the open lever 40 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (in the other direction), the engagement portion 42 of the open lever 40 does not come into contact with the full-release pressed portion 32 (first pressed portion) of the pole 30. However, when the open lever 40 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (in the other direction), the engagement portion 53 of the sub-lever 50 connected to the open lever 40 comes into contact (engages) with the half-release pressed portion 33 (second pressed portion) of the pole 30, as shown in FIG. 20. As the open lever 40 rotates, the half-release pressed portion 33 of the sub-lever 50 is pressed by the engaging portion 53 of the sub-lever 50, and the pawl 30 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) from the half-engaged rotation angle around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 together with the open lever 40. When the open lever 40 rotates to just before its full stroke, the pawl 30 reaches the open-engaged rotation angle, and as shown in FIG. 21, the engaging portion 31 of the pawl 30 is released from the half-engaged surface 22b of the latch 20. This releases the half-locked state. The latch 20 is biased counterclockwise (to the open side) around the axis of the rotation axis AX1 by the latch spring 26 and the pop-up spring 64, so when the half-locked state is released, the latch 20 rotates to the open side while pushing out the striker 6 with the second claw portion 22, mainly due to the biasing force of the pop-up spring 64. As shown in FIG. 22, the engagement portion 31 of the pole 30 engages with the open engagement surface 22a of the latch 20, causing the latch 20 to enter an open state in which it can rotate without being restricted by the pole 30. This releases the striker 6 from the latch 20, allowing the operator to open the hood 4.

After the half-locked state is released, the latch 20 may be positioned near the half-latch position or closer to the closed position than the half-latch position due to a load acting on the latch 20 from the hood 4 (striker 6) caused by, for example, snow accumulation on the hood 4 or the installation of a weather cover, despite the biasing force of the pop-up spring 64. In this case, when the open lever 50 returns to the initial position, the engaging portion 31 of the pole 30 moves toward the half-latch surface 22b due to the biasing force of the pole spring 36 and re-engages with the half-latch surface 22b, making it impossible to release the half-locked state.

In the hood lock device 10 of this embodiment, when the half-locked state is released, as shown in FIG. 23, the engaging portion 53 of the sub-lever 50 engages with the half-release pressed portion 33 of the pole 30, and the free end portion 51 (concave surface) of the sub-lever 50 abuts against the second sub-lever abutment surface 25c (convex surface) of the engagement block portion 25 formed on the latch 20. This restricts the rotation of the open lever 40 and the pole 30 so that the open lever 40 connected to the base end of the sub-lever 50 and the pole 30 engaged with the engaging portion 53 of the sub-lever 50 do not return to their initial positions, thereby preventing the pole 30 (engagement portion 31) and the latch 20 from re-engaging. As a result, it is possible to avoid the striker 6 being unable to come out of the latch 20 despite the half-lock release operation being performed, and to more reliably open the hood 4. In this embodiment, the second sublever abutment surface 25c is formed by a convex curved surface, and the free end 51 is formed by a concave curved surface, so that the latch 20 can be smoothly rotated around the axis of the rotation axis AX1 (to the open side and the close side) while the free end 51 of the sublever 50 abuts against the second sublever abutment surface 25c. At this time, the sublever 50 is held in a position in which at least a part (part R surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 10) of the contact range (concave curved surface) of the free end 51 that can come into contact with the second sublever abutment surface 25c is located on the same side as the striker 6 that engages with the latch 20 with respect to the plane L that passes through the rotation axis AX1 of the latch 20 and the rotation axis AX3 of the sublever 50 (see FIGS. 23 and 24). Here, a torque acts on the sublever 50 in the clockwise direction in Figures 23 and 24 around the axis of the rotation axis AX3 due to the biasing force of the sublever spring 54. On the other hand, when the latch 20 rotates to the close side with the free end 51 of the sublever 50 in contact with the second sublever abutment surface 25c of the latch 20, a force acts on the sublever 50 to move the sublever 50 in the counterclockwise direction in Figures 23 and 24 around the axis of the rotation axis AX3 due to the frictional force between the latch 20 and the sublever 50. However, by setting the attitude of the sublever 50 (position of the free end 51) when it contacts the second sublever abutment surface 25c described above so that the torque acting on the sublever 50 in the clockwise direction overcomes the force acting in the counterclockwise direction, it is possible to prevent the sublever 50 from moving in the counterclockwise direction due to the frictional force. As a result, the free end 51 of the sub-lever 50 does not fall off the second sub-lever abutment surface 25c, and the latch 20 can be smoothly rotated to the open side with the free end 51 in contact with the latch 20 at the second sub-lever abutment surface 25c. This allows the hood 4 to be opened smoothly.

In this embodiment, the second sublever abutment surface 25c (convex curved surface) is extended in an arc shape so that contact with the free end 51 of the sublever 50 is maintained from the stroke limit (overstroke position beyond the full lock position) of the latch 20 to the open position (more open than the half lock position) where the striker 6 can escape from the latch 20. Therefore, even if the striker 6 (hood 4) is pushed down until the latch 20 rotates to the full lock position after the half lock state release operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 24, the free end 51 of the sublever 50 is maintained in abutment with the second sublever abutment surface 25c of the latch 20. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the pawl 30 from re-engaging with the half engagement surface 22b or full engagement surface 22c of the latch 20. In this embodiment, the second sublever abutment surface 25c is configured so that contact with the free end 51 of the sublever 50 is maintained from the stroke limit of the latch 20 to the open position. However, this is not limited to the above, and the second sublever abutment surface 25c may be configured to maintain contact from the full lock position to the release position of the latch 20, or may be configured to maintain contact from an intermediate position between the full lock position and the half lock position of the latch 20 to the release position.

When the latch 20 rotates to the open side from the position where the striker 6 can be removed, the contact between the second sublever abutment surface 25c and the free end 51 of the sublever 50 is released as shown in FIG. 22. As a result, the open lever 50 and the pole 30 rotate clockwise (in one direction) around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 by the biasing forces of the sublever spring 54 and the pole spring 36, respectively, and return to their initial positions, and the pole 30 engages with the open engagement surface 22a of the latch 20. Therefore, when the hood 4 is next fully closed, the pole 30 engages with the open engagement surface 22a, the half engagement surface 22b, and the full engagement surface 22c in sequence as the latch 20 rotates to the half lock position and the full lock position in sequence, thereby locking the hood 4 in the fully closed position.

In this way, the sub-lever 50 is used to reliably release the full-lock state and the half-lock state one step at a time, and is also used to prevent re-locking immediately after releasing the half-lock state. Therefore, the hood lock device 10 of this embodiment is able to achieve these two functions while reducing the number of parts.

When the hood 4 is opened and then fully closed again, the latch 20 rotates from the open state clockwise (toward the close side) around the axis of the rotation axis AX1 as shown in Fig. 25. At this time, the engagement portion 53 of the sublever 50 is supported by the first sublever support portion 34a of the pole 30, and the free end portion 51 (tip portion) of the sublever 50 contacts the first sublever abutment surface 25b of the engagement block portion 25 formed on the latch 20. Then, as shown in Fig. 26, the free end portion 51 of the sublever 50 is pressed down by the engagement block portion 25 (first sublever abutment surface 25b) as the latch 20 rotates toward the close side toward the full lock position. When the latch 20 rotates to the full lock position, as shown in FIG. 27, the pawl 30 rotates clockwise (one direction) around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 and the engagement portion 31 engages with the full engagement surface 22c of the latch 20. Then, as the pawl 30 rotates, the sub-lever 50 rotates counterclockwise (the other direction) around the axis of the rotation axis AX2 relative to the pawl 30, and the engagement portion 53 of the sub-lever 50 is positioned near the second sub-lever support portion 34b of the pawl 30. As a result, the sub-lever 50 (engagement portion 53) returns to a state in which it cannot engage with the half-release pressed portion 33 (second pressed portion).

In the above embodiment, the free end 51 of the sublever 50 is formed in a concave curved shape with respect to the convex curved second sublever abutment surface 25c, but as shown in the sublever 150 according to another embodiment in FIG. 28, the outer circumferential surface of the free end 151 (contact portion with the second sublever abutment surface 25c) may be formed in a convex curved shape extending in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis AX3. As a result, as shown in FIG. 29 and FIG. 30, as in the case of using the sublever 50 of this embodiment, the sublever 150 is held in a position in which at least a part (R part surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 28) of the contact range (convex curved surface) of the free end 51 that can contact the second sublever abutment surface 25c is located on the same side as the striker 6 that engages with the latch 20 with respect to the plane L passing through the rotation axis AX1 of the latch 20 and the rotation axis AX3 of the sublever 50, regardless of the rotation of the latch 20. This allows the latch 20 to be smoothly rotated to the open side with the free end 51 in contact with the latch 20 at the second sublever abutment surface 25c. It also makes it possible to more reliably prevent the free end 51 from falling off the second sublever abutment surface 25c.

In the above-described embodiment, the hood lock device 10 is fixed to the vehicle body 2 and the striker 6 is fixed to the hood 4, but the hood lock device 10 may be fixed to the hood 4 and the striker 6 may be fixed to the vehicle body 2.

In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a hood opening and closing device that automatically opens and closes the hood 4 electrically, but the vehicle 1 may not be equipped with a hood opening and closing device. In this case, the closer drive device 70 and the sector gear 74 may be omitted.

In the above embodiment, the locking device for a vehicle opening/closing member of the present disclosure has been described as being applied to a hood locking device 10, but in a vehicle having a storage space (rear trunk) at the rear of the vehicle body 2, the locking device may be applied to a locking device that locks a trunk lid that is rotatably provided on the rear trunk in a fully closed position. Also, in a vehicle having a flip-up back door at the rear opening of the vehicle body 2, the locking device may be applied to a locking device that locks the back door in a fully closed position.

Although the above describes the form for carrying out this disclosure using embodiments, this disclosure is in no way limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that this disclosure can be carried out in various forms without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

This disclosure can be used in the hood lock device manufacturing industry, etc.

1 vehicle, 2 vehicle body, 4 hood (opening/closing member), 6 striker, 10 hood lock device, 11 base member, 20 latch, 22b half engagement surface (half lock engagement portion), 22c full engagement surface (full lock engagement portion), 25c second sub-lever abutment surface (abutment surface), 30 pole, 32 full release pressed portion (first pressed portion), 33 half release pressed portion (second pressed portion), 36 pole spring (biasing member) 40 open lever, 50 sub-lever, AX1, AX2 pivot shaft.

Claims (4)

a base member fixed to one of an opening/closing member and a vehicle body of the vehicle;
a latch that is rotatable relative to the base member and that can engage with a striker fixed to the other of the opening/closing member and the vehicle body;
a pole that is rotatable with respect to the base member, that is biased in one direction about an axis of a rotation shaft by a biasing member, and that is capable of engaging with the latch by rotating in the one direction about the axis of the rotation shaft to restrict rotation of the latch;
A locking device for an opening/closing member for a vehicle, the locking device locking the opening/closing member in a fully closed position by engaging the striker with the latch,
an open lever that is rotatable with respect to the base member and that is capable of rotating the pole in another direction opposite to the one direction about an axis of a rotation shaft so as to release the engagement between the pole and the latch;
a sub-lever rotatably connected to the open lever and engageable with the pawl;
Equipped with
The latch is formed with a half-lock engaging portion that engages with the pole at a half-lock position and a full-lock engaging portion that engages with the pole at a full-lock position, the half-lock engaging portion being aligned in a circumferential direction,
when the engagement between the pole and the half-lock engagement portion is released, the sub-lever abuts against the latch in a state of being engaged with the pole, thereby restricting the rotation of the pole in the one direction by the biasing member until the latch reaches a predetermined rotation angle on the open side from the half-lock position.
A locking device for an opening/closing member for a vehicle. 2. The locking device for a vehicle opening/closing member according to claim 1,
the sub-lever is rotatable relative to the open lever about a rotation axis parallel to a rotation axis of the latch at a position different from a rotation axis of the open lever,
The abutment surface of the latch with which the sub-lever abuts is an arc-shaped surface having a center on the pivot axis of the latch,
when the sub-lever abuts against the abutment surface of the latch, at least a part of a contact range capable of contacting the abutment surface of the latch is held in a position located on the same side as the striker engaging with the latch with respect to a plane passing through a rotation axis of the latch and a rotation axis of the sub-lever.
A locking device for an opening/closing member for a vehicle. 3. The locking device for a vehicle opening/closing member according to claim 1,
the abutment surface of the latch is formed so as to maintain contact with the sub-lever at least in a rotation range from the full lock position to the predetermined rotation angle.
A locking device for an opening/closing member for a vehicle. 3. The locking device for a vehicle opening/closing member according to claim 1,
the pawl rotates in the one direction as it sequentially engages with the half-lock engagement portion and the full-lock engagement portion from the open state of the latch, and the pawl is sequentially released from the full-lock engagement portion and the half-lock engagement portion as it rotates in the other direction from the full-lock position,
The pole is formed with a first pressed portion with which the open lever can be engaged at a first rotation angle that is a rotation angle of the pole when engaging with the full-lock engagement portion, and a second pressed portion with which the sub-lever can be engaged at a second rotation angle that is a rotation angle of the pole when engaging with the half-lock engagement portion,
When the open lever rotates with the pole positioned at the first rotation angle and engaged with the full-lock engagement portion, the open lever engages with the first pressed portion and rotates the pole in the other direction from the first rotation angle to the second rotation angle to release the engagement between the pole and the full-lock engagement portion, and after the rotation of the open lever is returned, when the pole is positioned at the second rotation angle and engaged with the half-lock engagement portion, the open lever rotates with the pole positioned at the second rotation angle and engaged with the half-lock engagement portion, the sub-lever engages with the second pressed portion and rotates the pole from the second rotation angle in the other direction to release the engagement between the pole and the half-lock engagement portion.
A locking device for an opening/closing member for a vehicle.

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