Handle device for vehicle door

A handle device for a vehicle door is provided in which a tact switch that can switch between switching modes in response to a pressing-in operation of an operating button is housed and fixed within a housing recess of a handle main body so as to be electrically connected to printed wiring of a board. The printed wiring is disposed at a different site from one face, facing a cover member side, of the board, the tact switch which is fixed to the one face of the board is electrically connected to the printed wiring, a flange portion abutting against the one face of the board is provided integrally with a switch cover covering the tact switch and connected to the operating button, and the push-in stroke of the operating button is restricted to a predetermined value or below with a hold-down member engaged with the handle main body.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a handle device for a vehicle door in which a vehicle door is provided with an operating handle that includes a handle main body having a housing recess for housing and fixing a board having an electronic component mounted thereon, and a cover member joined to the handle main body so as to cover the housing recess, a tact switch that can switch between switching modes in response to a pressing-in operation of an operating button looking out on an outer surface of the cover member is housed and fixed within the housing recess so as to be electrically connected to printed wiring of the board, and an interior of the housing recess is filled with a potting material.

BACKGROUND ART

A handle device for a vehicle door in which a tact switch is fixed to a tact switch holder fixed within a housing recess of a handle main body at a position separated from a board housed and fixed within the housing recess and printed wiring of the board is electrically connected to the tact switch via a lead is known from Patent Document 1.

RELATED ART DOCUMENTS

Patent Documents

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, in the arrangement disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, it is necessary to solder the lead extending from the board to the tact switch so as to connect them and cover the connected portion with a potting material, the number of assembly steps is large, and the assembly operation is also complicated. Moreover, since it is necessary to ensure that there is space for routing the lead within the housing recess, there is a possibility that the operating handle will increase in size, and there are restrictions in terms of design.

The present invention has been accomplished in light of such circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide a handle device for a vehicle door that reduces the number of assembly steps, simplifies the assembly operation, reduces the size of an operating handle, and enhances the degree of freedom in design.

Means for Solving the Problems

In order to attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a handle device for a vehicle door in which a vehicle door is provided with an operating handle comprising a handle main body having a housing recess for housing and fixing a board having an electronic component mounted thereon, and a cover member joined to the handle main body so as to cover the housing recess, a tact switch that can switch between switching modes in response to a pressing-in operation of an operating button looking out on an outer surface of the cover member is housed and fixed within the housing recess so as to be electrically connected to printed wiring of the board, and an interior of the housing recess is filled with a potting material, characterized in that the tact switch, which is fixed to one face, facing the cover member side, of the board, is electrically connected to the printed wiring, which is disposed at a different site from the one face of the board, a flange portion extending endlessly so as to surround, from the periphery, the tact switch and a site where the tact switch is connected to the printed wiring and abutting against the one face of the board is provided integrally with a switch cover, made of an elastic material, covering the tact switch while being connected to the operating button so as to transmit a pushing force to the tact switch in response to a pushing operation of the operating button, and a hold-down member sandwiching the flange portion between itself and the board and restricting the push-in stroke of the operating button to a predetermined value or below is engaged with the handle main body from the board side.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, the hold-down member, which is made of a synthetic resin, is formed so as to integrally have a hold-down member main portion that is formed into a tubular shape while having on opposite end parts a hold-down face abutting against the entire periphery of the flange portion and a restricting face opposing the operating button in order to restrict the push-in stroke of the operating button and housing the part of the switch cover other than the flange portion, and an engagement claw that is integrally and connectedly provided at a plurality of locations in a peripheral direction of an outer periphery of the hold-down member main portion so as to resiliently engage with a latching projection provided on the handle main body, and a positioning part is formed on at least one of the latching projection and the engagement claw, the positioning part determining a fixed relative position between the engagement claw and the latching projection when the hold-down member is inserted into the housing recess so as to engage with the handle main body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the second aspect, an annular projection biting into the flange portion so as to surround the tact switch is provided integrally with the hold-down member so as to project from the hold-down face, and a restricting wall extending endlessly while surrounding the restricting face so as to prevent the potting material, with which the housing recess is filled, from flowing in between the operating button and the restricting face is provided integrally with the hold-down member so as to project from the outer periphery of the restricting face toward the operating button side.

Moreover, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the second or third aspect, a base end part of an arm portion forming a U-shaped groove between itself and the hold-down member main portion is integrally and connectedly provided on the hold-down member main portion, and the engagement claw is formed integrally with an extremity of the arm portion.

Effects of the Invention

In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, since the tact switch is fixed to one face, facing the cover member side, of the board, it is unnecessary to use a lead for connecting the tact switch and the printed wiring of the board, and since it is unnecessary to secure a space for the lead to be routed it is possible to reduce the size of the operating handle, thus enhancing the degree of freedom in design. Moreover, since the hold-down member sandwiching the flange part of the switch cover covering the tact switch between itself and the board may be engaged with the handle main body, it is possible to reduce the number of assembly steps and simplify the assembly operation, and since the hold-down member restricts the push-in stroke of the operating button to a predetermined value or below, it is possible to prevent an excessive pressing load from acting on the tact switch. Moreover, since the printed wiring is disposed on a part of the board other than the one face, which faces the cover member side, of the board, it is possible to prevent asperities from occurring on the one face of the board due to the printed wiring, thus enabling the flange part of the switch cover to be in intimate contact with the one face of the board and thereby preventing water or the potting material from entering the tact switch side.

Furthermore, in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, since the hold-down member is formed so as to integrally have the hold-down member main portion, which has on opposite end parts the hold-down face abutting against the entire periphery of the flange part and the restricting face opposing the operating button, the flange part, and the engagement claw, which is formed integrally at a plurality of locations in the peripheral direction on the outer periphery of the hold-down member main portion so as to resiliently engage with the latching projection of the handle main body, and the positioning part, which determines the fixed relative position between the engagement claw and the latching projection, is formed on at least one of the latching projection and the engagement claw, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly while preventing erroneous assembly when assembling the hold-down member onto the handle main body.

In accordance with the third aspect of the present invention, since the annular projection provided integrally with the hold-down member projects from the hold-down face so as to bite into the flange part while surrounding the tact switch, and the restricting wall projecting from the outer periphery of the restricting face so as to prevent the potting material from flowing in between the operating button and the restricting face is provided integrally with the hold-down member, it is possible to prevent the potting material from flowing into the tact switch side from between the flange portion of the switch cover and the hold-down member and to prevent the potting material from flowing in between the operating button and the restricting face, thus ensuring normal operation of the tact switch by means of a pushing operation of the operating button.

Furthermore, in accordance with the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the U-shaped groove is formed between the hold-down member main portion and the arm portion, the engagement claw being formed integrally with the extremity of the arm portion, due to the potting material flowing into the groove the engaged state of the engagement claw with the latching projection can be maintained, and the engaged state of the hold-down member with the handle main body is not released even when an external force acts on the hold-down member.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SYMBOLS

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention is explained by reference toFIG. 1toFIG. 7.

First Embodiment

First, inFIG. 1andFIG. 2, an operating handle12extending in the fore-and-aft direction of a vehicle (the left-and-right direction inFIG. 1) is pivotably mounted on an outer panel11of a vehicle door D, which is for example a side door, so that the operating handle12can be operated from outside the vehicle door D. Also provided on the outer panel11so as to protrude inward in the vehicle width direction is a curved portion11aforming a depression13that enables the hand of a vehicle user holding the operating handle12to be inserted.

Disposed to the rear of the operating handle12in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle so that a seal member15is disposed between itself and an outer face of the outer panel11is a rear base member14protruding outward from the outer panel11so as to be smoothly connected to the operating handle12in a non-operated state. This rear base member14is secured to the outer panel11together with a first mounting member16abutting against an inner face of the outer panel11.

A front base member18made of a synthetic resin is disposed at a position that overlaps a front part of the operating handle12along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when viewed from the side, the front base member18having a flat plate-shaped mounting portion18ahaving a seal member17disposed between itself and the outer face of the outer panel11, and a cylindrical boss portion18bintegrally connected to the mounting portion18aso as to extend through the seal member17and the outer panel11and penetrate into the outer panel11. A second mounting member19having a substantially U-shaped form while having a pair of leg portions19aabutting against the inner face of the outer panel11is disposed so as to straddle the boss portion18b, and the front base member18and the second mounting member19are fixed to the outer panel11by screwing and tightening a bolt20inserted through the second mounting member19into the boss portion18b. Furthermore, a support portion18cbent into a substantially L-shaped form is provided integrally with a front part of the front base member18so as to penetrate into the outer panel11.

Referring in addition toFIG. 3toFIG. 5, the operating handle12is formed by joining to each other a handle main body21formed from a synthetic resin, extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and disposed on the outer face side of the outer panel11, and a cover member22made of a synthetic resin and covering the handle main body21from the side opposite to the vehicle door D.

An operating arm portion21ais provided integrally with a rear end part of the handle main body21, the operating arm portion21aextending through the rear base member14, the seal member15, the outer panel11, and the first mounting member16and penetrating into the outer panel11. A support arm portion21bhaving a substantially L-shaped form is provided integrally with a front end part of the handle main body21, the support arm portion21bpenetrating into the support portion18cof the front base member18.

A support recess24is provided at the extremity of the support arm portion21b, the support recess24being fitted from below onto a support shaft23provided on the support portion18cof the front base member18, and fitting the support recess24onto the support shaft23pivotably supports the support arm portion21bon the support portion18cof the front base member18.

Furthermore, the operating arm portion21ais linked to a latch mechanism, which is not illustrated, and when the vehicle door D is in an unlocked state, operating the operating handle12in a direction in which the operating arm portion21ais pulled outside the vehicle door D makes the latch mechanism release a closed state of the vehicle door D, and the vehicle door D can be opened by operation of the operating handle12. Moreover, the operating handle12is urged by means of urging means, which is not illustrated, toward the side on which the operating arm portion21ais pulled inside the vehicle door D, and an elastic member25surrounding the operating arm portion21ais fitted onto the operating arm portion21aso as to alleviate the impact when abutting against the rear base member14.

The handle main body21has a housing recess28that has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape opening on the side opposite to the vehicle door D and that is covered with the cover member21. The housing recess28is formed in the handle main body21so that its peripheral wall is defined by a pair of side wall portions21cand21dprovided integrally with the handle main body21so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the handle main body21and oppose each other, a linking wall portion21eprovided integrally with the handle main body21so as to join the two side wall portions21cand21din a part corresponding to the operating arm portion21a, and a grommet29retained between the handle main body21and the cover member22so as to be disposed across the area between the two side wall portions21cand21dto the rear of the support arm portion21b.

A board31having an electronic component30such as an antenna unit mounted thereon is housed and fixed within the housing recess28, and a tact switch32is fixed to a rear part of one face31a, facing the cover member22side, of the board31, the tact switch32functioning as a lock switch for confirming for example the intention of a vehicle user to lock the vehicle door D.

The tact switch32is electrically connected to printed wiring33,34of the board31. This printed wiring33,34is disposed at sites that are different from the one face31a, facing the cover member22side, of the board31; in this embodiment the board31is formed as multiple layers, and the printed wiring33,34is disposed between layers of the board31, but the printed wiring33,34may be disposed on a face on the side opposite to the one face31a.

The tact switch32can switch between switching modes in response to a pushing operation of an operating button35looking out on an outer surface of the cover member22; the tact switch32is covered with a switch cover36connected to the operating button35so as to transmit the pushing force to the tact switch32in response to a pushing operation of the operating button35, the switch cover36being formed from an elastic material, for example rubber.

The switch cover36integrally has a cover main body portion36aformed with a bottomed cylindrical shape so as to cover the tact switch32, and a flange portion36bextending endlessly so as to surround, from the periphery, the tact switch32and a site where the tact switch32is connected to the printed wiring33,34. The flange portion36bextends radially outwardly from the open end of the cover main portion36a, so as to abut against the one face31aof the board31. An inward recess37is formed at a center portion of the blocked end of the cover main portion36a, and the blocked end of the switch cover36, proximate the recess37, can selectively abut against the tact switch32. The main body portion36aof the switch cover36has an axis60(FIG. 3) which passes through the center portion of the blocked end thereof. The flange portion36bis formed into a square shape.

The flange portion36bof the switch cover36is fixed to the board31by being sandwiched between the board31and a hold-down member38that is engaged with the handle main body21from the board31side.

Referring in addition toFIG. 6andFIG. 7, the hold-down member38, which is made of a synthetic resin, is formed so as to integrally have a tubular hold-down member main portion38ahaving a square cross-sectional external shape and engagement claws38band38bintegrally and connectedly provided at a plurality of locations, for example two locations, in the peripheral direction on the outer periphery of the hold-down member main portion38a. The hold-down member main portion38ahas on opposite end parts a hold-down face39abutting against the entire periphery of the flange portion36bof the switch cover36and a restricting face40opposing the operating button35so as to restrict the push-in stroke of the operating button35, and houses part of the switch cover36other than the flange portion36b. The engagement claws38band38bcan resiliently engage with latching projections41and41provided integrally with the two side wall portions21cand21dof the handle main body21.

Base end parts of arm portions38cand38cforming U-shaped grooves42and42between themselves and the hold-down member main portion38aare integrally and connectedly provided on the hold-down member main portion38a, and the engagement claws38band38bare formed integrally with extremities of the arm portions38cand38c.

A positioning part43is formed on at least one of the latching projection41and the engagement claw38b, in this embodiment the engagement claw38b, the positioning part43defining a fixed relative position between the engagement claw38band the latching projection41when the hold-down member38is inserted into the housing recess28and engaged with the handle main body21. In this embodiment, the positioning part43is formed from a recess formed in the engagement claw38bso that part of the latching projection41fits thereinto and is guided thereby.

A positioning hole44is provided in each of two corners among four corners of the flange portion36bof the switch cover36, and a bottomed positioning recess45is provided in four corners of the hold-down member main portion38aof the hold-down member38. On the other hand, a pair of positioning projections46extending through the board31are integrally and projectingly provided on the handle main body21, these positioning projections46being fitted into the two positioning holes44of the flange portion36band two of the four positioning recesses45of the hold-down member38, thereby positioning the switch cover36and the hold-down member38relative to the handle main body21.

The interior of the housing recess28is filled with a potting material47in a state in which the board31is housed and fixed within the housing recess28and the flange portion36bof the switch cover36covering the tact switch32fixed to the board31is sandwiched between the board31and the hold-down member38engaged with the handle main body21. In order to prevent the potting material47from flowing into the tact switch32side from between the flange portion36bof the switch cover36and the hold-down member38, an annular projection38dbiting into the flange portion36bso as to surround the tact switch32is provided integrally with the hold-down member38so as to project from the hold-down face39, and in order to prevent the potting material47from flowing in between the operating button35and the restricting face40, a restricting wall38eextending endlessly while surrounding the restricting face40is provided integrally so as to project from the outer periphery of the restricting face40toward the operating button35side.

The operating button35is formed into a bottomed short cylindrical shape so as to be disposed in a circular opening48provided in the cover member22, and a restricting collar portion35ais integrally formed at the open end of the operating button35, the restricting collar portion35apreventing the operating button35from coming out of the opening48by abutting against an inner face of the cover member22around the opening48.

Fixed to the operating button35is one end part of a transmission shaft49. The other end part of the transmission shaft49is fitted into the recess37of the cover main portion36aof the switch cover36and is connected to the switch cover36, the pushing force of the operating button35being transmitted to the tact switch32via the transmission shaft49and the switch cover36.

A plurality of leads50are fed out from the front part of the board31, and these leads50are bundled as a harness51. Moreover, the grommet29is retained between the handle main body21and the cover member22in front of the board31, and the leads50are individually inserted through and retained by the grommet29.

The harness51is led out toward the interior of the outer panel11through a lead-out groove53provided in the support arm portion21bconnected integrally to the front end part of the handle main body21.

The operation of this embodiment is now explained. Since the board31is housed and fixed within the housing recess28possessed by the handle main body21, which forms the operating handle12together with the cover member22, and is covered with the cover member22, and the tact switch32fixed to the one face31aof the board31is electrically connected to the printed wiring33,34disposed on the board31, it is unnecessary to use a lead for connecting the printed wiring33,34of the board31and the tact switch32, and it is unnecessary to ensure that there is space for the lead to be routed, thus enabling the size of the operating handle12to be reduced and thereby enhancing the degree of freedom in design.

Furthermore, since the flange portion36bextending endlessly so as to surround, from the periphery, the tact switch32and the site where the tact switch32is connected to the printed wiring33,34and abutting against the one face31aof the board31is provided integrally with the switch cover36, made of an elastic material, covering the tact switch32while being connected to the operating button35so as to transmit the pushing force to the tact switch32in response to the pushing operation of the operating button35, and the hold-down member38sandwiching the flange portion36bbetween itself and the board31and restricting the push-in stroke of the operating button35to a predetermined value or below engages with the handle main body21from the board31side, it is possible to decrease the number of assembly steps and simplify the assembly operation, and it is possible to prevent an excessive pushing load from acting on the tact switch32due to the hold-down member38restricting the push-in stroke of the operating button35to a predetermined value or below.

Moreover, due to the printed wiring33,34being disposed on the board31at a site different from the one face31afacing the cover member22side, it is possible to prevent asperities from occurring on the one face31aof the board31due to the printed wiring33,34, thus enabling the flange portion36bof the switch cover36to be in intimate contact with the one face31aof the board31, and thereby preventing water or the potting material47from entering the tact switch32side.

Furthermore, since the hold-down member38, made of a synthetic resin, is formed so as to integrally have the hold-down member main portion38a, which is formed into a tubular shape while having on opposite end parts the hold-down face39abutting against the entire periphery of the flange portion36band the restricting face40opposing the operating button35so as to restrict the push-in stroke of the operating button35and while housing part of the switch cover36other than the flange portion36b, and the engagement claw38b, which is integrally and connectedly provided at the plurality of locations in the peripheral direction on the outer periphery of the hold-down member main portion38aso as to resiliently engage with the latching projection41provided on the handle main body21, and the positioning part43, which determines the fixed relative position between the engagement claw38band the latching projection41when the hold-down member38is inserted into the housing recess28and engaged with the handle main body21, is formed on at least one of the latching projection41and the engagement claw38b(in this embodiment the engagement claw38b), it is possible to improve the ease of assembly while preventing erroneous assembly when assembling the hold-down member38onto the handle main body21.

Moreover, since the annular projection38dbiting into the flange portion36bso as to surround the tact switch32is provided integrally with the hold-down member38so as to project from the hold-down face39, and the restricting wall38eextending endlessly while surrounding the restricting face40so as to prevent the potting material47, with which the housing recess28is filled, from flowing in between the operating button35and the restricting face40is provided integrally so as to project from the outer periphery of the restricting face40toward the operating button35side, it is possible to prevent the potting material47from flowing into the tact switch32side from between the flange portion36bof the switch cover36and the hold-down member38and to prevent the potting material47from flowing in between the operating button35and the restricting face40, thus ensuring normal operation of the tact switch32by means of a pushing operation of the operating button35.

Furthermore, since the base end part of the arm portion38cforming the U-shaped groove42between itself and the hold-down member main portion38ais integrally and connectedly provided on the hold-down member main portion38a, and the engagement claw38bis formed integrally with the extremity of the arm portion38c, due to the potting material47flowing into the groove42, the engaged state of the engagement claw38bwith the latching projection41can be maintained, and the engaged state of the hold-down member38with the handle main body21is not released even when an external force acts on the hold-down member38.

An embodiment of the present invention is explained above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and may be modified in a variety of ways as long as the modifications do not depart from the spirit and scope thereof.

For example, in the above embodiment, the operating button35is connected to the switch cover36via the transmission shaft49, but an operating button may be formed so as to directly abut against a switch cover. In this case, positioning of the operating button may be carried out by means of the restricting wall38eof the hold-down member38, and by so doing when carrying out assembly of the operating handle12it becomes unnecessary, by positioning the operating button by means of the restricting wall38eof the hold-down member38, to carry out confirmation of positioning, thus contributing to improvement of the ease of assembly.