Patent Publication Number: US-7712803-B2

Title: Handle apparatus for vehicle door

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 11/049,890 filed Feb. 4, 2005; the entire disclosure of the prior application is considered part of the disclosure of the accompanying continuation application and is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a handle apparatus provided inside the vehicle compartment to open the door of the vehicle and lock or unlock the door. 
     2) Description of the Related Art 
     Handle apparatuses of vehicle doors usually has a handle lever and a locking knob. A latch mechanism is released and the door can be opened by operating (turning or pulling) the handle lever. The door can be locked by operating the locking knob in a specific direction and can be unlocked by operating the locking knob in another specific direction. When the door is locked, an operation on the handle lever is not conveyed to the latch mechanism so that the door can not be opened. On the contrary, when the door is unlocked, an operation on the handle lever is conveyed to the latch mechanism so that the door is opened. 
     Japanese Patent Publication No. 3333745 discloses a conventional handle apparatus. In this handle apparatus, a lock operational unit of a locking knob is disposed near on a base of a handle lever in neighboring manner, and they are rotatably born by a common supporting shaft member. 
     Generally the handle apparatus is provided in a front half of the door. Accordingly, there is a little risk that a passenger unconsciously touches the handle lever or operates the locking knob while the vehicle is running. The passenger can perform the opening/closing of the door or the locking of the door only by stretching his/her hand. 
     However, due to shocks, for example if the vehicle collides with an object, the passenger can move greatly in the vehicle compartment, and can happen to operate the handle apparatus and open the door or lock the door. If the door is opened while the vehicle is running, it can lead to an accident. On the other hand, it becomes difficult to open the door from outside, for example in an emergency, if the door is locked from inside. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to solve at least the problems in the conventional technology. 
     A handle apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided in a compartment of a vehicle to a door of the vehicle. The handle apparatus includes a handle lever that enables a releasing operation of a latch mechanism so as to allow the door to be opened; a locking knob movable between a lock position and an unlock position based on a movement of a lock operational unit is a specific region, the locking knob switching a locking mechanism to a lock state when in the lock position, thereby imposing a predetermined restriction on the releasing operation of the latch mechanism, while switching the locking mechanism to an unlock state when in the unlock position, thereby canceling the restriction on the releasing operation of the latch mechanism; and a cover member that covers at least a rear region of the specific region in which the lock operational unit can move. 
     The other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are specifically set forth in or will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a handle apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross section along the line II-II in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of the handle apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the handle apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of the handle apparatus shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic of a vehicle mounted with the handle apparatus shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is another embodiment of a handle apparatus; 
         FIG. 8  is a cross section along the line VIII-VIII in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a plan view of the handle apparatus shown in  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is another plan view of the handle apparatus shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are explained below in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIGS. 1 to 5  depict a handle apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The handle apparatus is provided in a side door of front hinge located on the right side of front seats of a vehicle as shown in  FIG. 6  (door D of the driver&#39;s seat in a right-hand-drive car) and provided for operating a latch mechanism L and a locking mechanism R disposed in the door D from inside the vehicle interior. Detailed explanation for the latch mechanism L and the locking mechanism R will be omitted because they are well known in the art. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 to 5 , the handle apparatus has a handle base  10 . The handle base  10  serves as a base for mounting the handle apparatus on an inner panel (not shown) of the door D, and is formed of a metal seat which is relatively thick and rigid. The handle base  10  is provided with a pair of upper and lower bearing brackets  11 ,  12 . The bearing brackets  11 ,  12  protrude from a surface on the side of vehicle interior in the handle base  10  (hereinafter, “inner surface  10   a ”) so as to oppose each other, and between the respective protruding ends is provided a supporting shaft member  13 . The supporting shaft member  13  is attached between the bearing brackets  11 ,  12  along the up-and-down direction, and bears a handle lever  20  at its lower part and a locking knob  30  at its upper part. 
     The handle lever  20  is rotatably disposed about the supporting shaft member  13  by letting the supporting shaft member  13  penetrate through a through hole  21   a  provided in a lever base  21 , and has a lever link unit  22  and a lever operation unit  23 . The lever link unit  22  extends in an outward radial direction from the supporting shaft member  13  in the outward direction of vehicle, and has an opening operation cable link hole  22   a  on its extension end. The lever operation unit  23  provided for a passenger to directly operate for opening the door D, first extends in the inward direction of vehicle from the supporting shaft member  13  and then extends in the forward direction of vehicle. More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the lever link unit  22  and the lever operation unit  23  are so configured that when the opening operation cable link hole  22   a  of the lever link unit  22  is disposed with respect to the handle base  10  diagonally at approximately 45° in the rearward direction of vehicle and in the inward direction of vehicle from the supporting shaft member  13 , the extension end of the handle lever  20  is in a position directed in the forward direction of vehicle (hereinafter, “ordinary state of the handle lever  20 ”). 
     The handle lever  20  is provided with a return spring  24  interposed between the lever base  21  and the handle base  10 , and to the lever link unit  22  one end of an opening operation wire cable  25  is connected via the opening operation cable link hole  22   a . The return spring  24  is provided between the lever base  21  and the handle base  10  so as to hold the handle lever  20  in ordinary state. The opening operation wire cable  25  transmits an operation force exerted on the handle lever  20  to a latch mechanism L and links between the lever link unit  22  and the latch mechanism L so that the latch mechanism L is released when the lever operation unit  23  of the handle lever  20  is swung in the inward direction of vehicle against an elastic force of the return spring  24 . In brief, in the handle apparatus of the present embodiment, the latch mechanism L will be released when a pulling force is exerted via the opening operation wire cable  25  by an operation of the handle lever  20 . 
     A locking knob  30  is rotatably disposed about the supporting shaft member  13  by letting the supporting shaft member  13  penetrate through a through hole  31   a  provided in a lock base  31 , and has a lock link unit  32  and a lock operational unit  33 . The lock link unit  32  extends in an outward radial direction from the supporting shaft member  13  in the outward direction of vehicle, and has an switching operation cable link hole  32   a  in its extension end. The lock operational unit  33  provided for a passenger to directly operate for switching the locking mechanism R between a lock state and an unlock state, extends in the inward direction of vehicle from the supporting shaft member  13 . More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the lock link unit  32  and the lock operational unit  33  are so configured that when the switching operation cable link hole  32   a  of the lock link unit  32  is disposed with respect to the handle base  10  at approximately 90° in the outward direction of vehicle from the supporting shaft member  13 , the lock operational unit  33  is in a position of approximately 45° in the rearward direction of vehicle and in the inward direction of vehicle (hereinafter, “lock position”). 
     In the locking knob  30 , one end of the switching operation wire cable  35  is connected to the lock link unit  32  via the switching operation cable link hole  32   a . The switching operation wire cable  35  transmits an operation force exerted on the locking knob  30  to the locking mechanism R and links the lock link unit  32  and the locking mechanism R in such a manner that when shifted to a lock position, the locking mechanism R is shifted to a lock state, while as shown in  FIG. 5 , when the lock operational unit  33  is rotated by 45° in the forward direction of vehicle about the axial center of the supporting shaft member  13  (hereinafter, “unlock position”), the locking mechanism R is shifted to an unlock state. In brief, the handle apparatus of the present embodiment is so configured that when a pulling force is exerted via the switching operation wire cable  35  by an operation of the locking knob  30 , the locking mechanism R is shifted to a lock state, and when a pushing force is exerted via the switching operation wire cable  35 , the locking mechanism R is shifted to an unlock state. As is apparent from  FIGS. 3 and 5 , protruding amounts into the inward direction of vehicle of the lock operational unit  33  in the locking knob  30  are nearly equal to the protruding amount of the lever operation unit  23  in the handle lever  20 , and when the lock operational unit  33  of the locking knob  30  shifts from a lock position to an unlock position, the protruding amounts in the inward direction of vehicle will gradually reduce. 
     On the other hand, the handle apparatus is provided with a cover member  40 . The cover member  40  is fixed at a position rearward from the lock operational unit  33  of the locking knob  30  in the handle base  10 , and protrudes in the inward direction of vehicle from the handle base  10 . This cover member  40  is adjacent to the lock operational unit  33  and covers a rear region thereof when the locking knob  30  is in a lock position. 
     The handle apparatus constituted as described above is arranged in the front part of the door D as is the same with the conventional one, and there is no risk that a passenger will unconsciously touch the handle lever  20  or the lock operational unit  33  of the locking knob  30  during usual drive. A passenger can operate them for opening the door D or switching the locking mechanism R only when he/she extends his/her arm. In this case, if the locking mechanism R is shifted to a lock state via the lock operational unit  33 , a releasing operation of the latch mechanism L is restricted, and for example, a door-opening operation of an outside handle OH (see  FIG. 6 ) will not be transmitted to the latch mechanism L so that the door D is kept in a closed state. If the locking mechanism R is shifted to an unlock state via the lock operational unit  33 , a door-opening operation of an outside handle OH will be transmitted to the latch mechanism L so that the door D can be opened relative to the vehicle body. 
     According to the present handle apparatus, since the cover member  40  is provided that covers a rear region of a moving region of the lock operational unit  33 , even if passengers are largely moved due to exertion of an impact such as collision to the vehicle, the situation that a passenger erroneously touches the lock operation unit  33  of the locking know  30  is significantly reduced. Regardless of whether a hand of a passenger moves in the forward direction of the vehicle or in the rearward direction of the vehicle to touch the inside lock apparatus, the cover member  40  prevents the hand from touching the lock operational unit  33 , which eliminates the risk that the locking mechanism R is unconsciously switched. As a result, when the locking mechanism R is in an unlock state, the locking mechanism R will continuously keep the unlock state even when an impact such as collision is exerted on the vehicle, so that the door D can be readily opened from outside. 
     Furthermore, according to the handle apparatus, through an operation of the locking knob  30 , when a pulling force is exerted via the switching operation wire cable  35 , the locking mechanism R is shifted to a lock state, while when a pushing force is exerted via the switching operation wire cable  35 , the locking mechanism R is shifted to an unlock state. This is advantageous in respect of antitheft ability. That is, when someone bearing malice pulls or pushes an intermediate portion of the switching operation wire cable  35  through a gap using a tool or the like, a pulling force is exerted on the locking mechanism R, so that the lock state will not shift to an unlock state, making it difficult to open the door D. 
     In the embodiment, explanation was given while taking a handle apparatus provided in a side door D of front hinge located on the right of front seats of a four-wheeled vehicle. As for a door D on the left of the front seats, a handle apparatus having a shape symmetrical to that of the embodiment may be applied. 
     In the embodiment, the lever operation unit  23  of the handle lever  20  extending linearly is exemplified; however, the shape of the handle lever  20  is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, in an embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 to 10 , a handle apparatus in which an extension end  23   a  of the lever operation unit  23  has an upwardly curved shape is exemplified. In this embodiment, constitution of the locking knob  30  is as same as that of the embodiment and an equivalent operation and effect can be achieved. In the modified embodiment shown in  FIGS. 7 to 10 , a similar constituent to that in the embodiment is denoted by a similar reference numeral. 
     According to the present invention, since a cover member is provided so as to cover at least a rear region in a moving region of the lock operational unit, even if a passenger moves largely due to shocks or impacts, for example, due to collision to the vehicle, chances of the passenger accidentally touching the lock operation unit are significantly reduced. 
     Although the invention has been described with respect to a specific embodiment for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.