Patent Publication Number: US-7222459-B2

Title: Sliding door locking system

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
   The Japanese priority application No. 2004-131635, upon which the present application is based, is hereby incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a sliding door locking system that includes: a plurality of latch mechanisms including a front latch mechanism in which a latch capable of maintaining a sliding door in a closed state by engaging with a striker on a vehicle body is pivotably supported in a casing mounted on a front part of the sliding door; an outside handle mechanism disposed outwardly of a windowpane of the sliding door so as to enable handle operation outside the sliding door; and a remote control mechanism provided in the sliding door inwardly of the windowpane so as to exert on each of the latch mechanisms an operating force according to the handle operation of the outside handle mechanism. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   Such a locking system is already known from, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-97121. 
   In such a sliding door locking system, it is necessary to transmit an operating force from the outside handle mechanism which is on the outward side of the windowpane, to the remote control mechanism side which is inward of the windowpane. In this conventional arrangement, a pivoting shaft is pivotably disposed in a front part of the sliding door at a position corresponding to the outside handle mechanism, an outside handle of the outside handle mechanism is coupled to an outer end of the pivoting shaft via a swinging link, and the remote control mechanism is coupled to an inner end of the pivoting shaft via a transmission link. 
   In this conventional arrangement, since it is necessary to employ a component for pivotably supporting the pivoting shaft in the sliding door, the number of components is relatively large, and since it is necessary to assemble the pivoting shaft to the sliding door, the number of assembly steps increases. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention has been accomplished under the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is an object thereof to provide a sliding door locking system that enables an operating force to be transmitted from the outside handle a mechanism to the remote control mechanism while reducing the number of components and the number of assembly steps. 
   In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to a first feature of the invention, there is provided a sliding door locking system comprising: a plurality of latch mechanisms including a front latch mechanism in which a latch capable of maintaining a sliding door in a closed state by engaging with a striker on a vehicle body is pivotably supported in a casing mounted on a front part of the sliding door; an outside handle mechanism disposed outwardly of a windowpane of the sliding door so as to enable handle operation outside the sliding door; a remote control mechanism provided in the sliding door inwardly of the windowpane so as to exert on each of the latch mechanisms an operating force according to the handle operation of the outside handle mechanism; wherein the system further comprises: a first transmission cable for transmitting the operating force from the outside handle mechanism, the first transmission cable extending to the front latch mechanism side while bypassing the windowpane; a relay lever pivotably supported in the casing and positioned inwardly of the windowpane; and a second transmission cable for transmitting to the remote control mechanism an operating force transmitted from the first transmission cable to the relay lever, the first transmission cable and the second transmission cable being coupled to the relay lever. 
   According to a second feature of the present invention, in addition to the first feature, the system further comprises a lock release actuator for making an operating force for releasing a locked state act on each of the latch mechanisms, the lock release actuator being coupled to the relay lever. 
   With the arrangement of the first feature, the operating force from the outside handle mechanism is transmitted to the remote control mechanism via the first transmission cable, the relay lever, and the second transmission cable, and it is the first transmission cable that links the relay lever to the outside handle mechanism. Therefore, it is easy to dispose the first transmission cable so as to bypass the windowpane. Further, since the relay lever is pivotably supported in the casing of the front latch mechanism, it is unnecessary to assemble to the sliding door any component used exclusively for pivotably supporting the relay lever besides the front latch mechanism, thus reducing the number of components. Furthermore, since it is unnecessary to assemble only the relay lever to the sliding door separately from the assembly of the front latch mechanism to the sliding door, the number of assembly steps can be reduced. 
   With the arrangement of the second feature, since the operating force from the lock release actuator is also input into the relay lever, the power transmission route between the lock release actuator and the remote control mechanism can be simplified, thus further reducing the number of components. Moreover, disposing the lock release actuator in the vicinity of the front latch mechanism enables the operating force from the lock release actuator to be applied to all the latch mechanisms while shortening the transmission route. 
   The above-mentioned object, other objects, characteristics, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a preferred embodiment that will be described in detail below by reference to the attached drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front view taken from inside, of a sliding door including a locking system according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a front view taken from the inner side of the sliding door, of an outside handle mechanism and a front latch mechanism. 
       FIG. 3  is a view taken from the direction of arrow  3  in  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged view taken from the direction of arrow  4  in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged view taken from the direction of arrow  5  in  FIG. 3 . 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring firstly to  FIG. 1 , a sliding door D is mounted on the right-hand side of a vehicle body (not illustrated) so that the sliding door D can slide in the fore-and-aft direction between a closed position on the front side (the left side in  FIG. 1 ) and an open position on the rear side (the right side in  FIG. 1 ). The sliding door D can be automatically opened and closed by an electric door opening/closing system (not illustrated). 
   The sliding door D is provided in a rear part thereof with a rear latch mechanism  11  that engages with the vehicle body when the sliding door D is in its closed state, to maintain the closed state. The rear latch mechanism  11  includes a locking operation actuator  12  for putting the sliding door D in a fully closed state. The sliding door D is provided in a front part thereof with a front latch mechanism  13  that engages with the vehicle body when the sliding door D is in its closed state, to maintain the closed state. An outside handle mechanism  14  is provided in an upper front part of the sliding door D above the front latch mechanism  13 , to enable handle operation on the outside of the sliding door D. A remote control mechanism  16  has an inside handle  15  disposed on the inside of the sliding door D, and is provided in an upper part of the sliding door D rearward of the outside handle mechanism  14 . A lower latch mechanism  17  is provided in a front part of the sliding door D beneath the front latch mechanism  13 . The lower latch mechanism  17  engages with the vehicle body when the sliding door D is in its open state, to maintain the open state. A lock release actuator  18  is mounted on the sliding door D rearward of the front latch mechanism  13 . The lock release actuator  18  is capable of giving power for releasing the lock to the rear latch mechanism  11 , the front latch mechanism  13 , and the lower latch mechanism  17 . 
   An operating force exhibited by the lock release actuator  18  is transmitted to the front latch mechanism  13  via a rod  19 . An operating force accompanying operation of the outside handle mechanism  14  is transmitted to the front latch mechanism  13  via a first transmission cable  21 . The front latch mechanism  13  converts either the operating force transmitted from the lock release actuator  18  or the operating force transmitted from the outside handle mechanism  14  into a pulling power of a second transmission cable  22  while avoiding mutual interference between the lock release actuator  18  and the outside handle mechanism  14 . This operating force for releasing the lock that has been transmitted from the second transmission cable  22  to the remote control mechanism  16  is transmitted to the rear latch mechanism  11 , the front latch mechanism  13 , and the lower latch mechanism  17  via third, fourth, and fifth transmission cables  23 ,  24 , and  25 . The remote control mechanism  16  is also capable of transmitting the operating force for releasing the lock accompanying operation of the inside handle  15  directly to the third, fourth, and fifth transmission cables  23 ,  24 , and  25 . 
   When a switching operation for opening the sliding door D is carried out in a driver&#39;s seat while the sliding door D is in the closed state, the lock release actuator  18  operates, the power transmitted from the lock release actuator  18  to the front latch mechanism  13  via the rod  19  is transmitted to the remote control mechanism  16  via the second transmission cable  22 , and power for releasing the lock is transmitted from the remote control mechanism  16  to the rear latch mechanism  11  and the front latch mechanism  13  via the third and fourth transmission cables  23  and  24 . This puts the rear and front latch mechanisms  11  and  13  in an unlocked state, the sliding door D is automatically opened by the electric door opening/closing system, and the lower latch mechanism  17  carries out a locking operation while the sliding door D is in a fully open state, thus maintaining the sliding door D in the fully open state. 
   When a switching operation for closing the sliding door D is carried out in the driver&#39;s seat while the sliding door D is in an open state, the lock release actuator  18  operates, the power transmitted from the lock release actuator  18  to the front latch mechanism  13  via the rod  19  is transmitted to the remote control mechanism  16  via the second transmission cable  22 , and power for releasing the lock is transmitted from the remote control mechanism  16  to the lower latch mechanism  17  via the fifth transmission cable  25 . This puts the lower latch mechanism  17  in an unlocked state, and the sliding door D is automatically closed by the electric door opening/closing system. In this process, the rear latch mechanism  11  carries out a locking operation so as to achieve a fully closed state out of a half-closed state of the sliding door D, by starting an operation of the locking operation actuator  12 , and the front latch mechanism  13  accordingly carries out a locking operation, thus maintaining the sliding door D in the fully closed state. 
   On the other hand, when an opening operation is carried out with the inside handle  15  while the sliding door D is in a closed state, the lock release actuator  18  operates in accordance with this opening operation; the front latch mechanism  13 , the remote control mechanism  16 , the rear latch mechanism  11 , and the lock release actuator  18  operate as in the case where the switching operation for opening the sliding door D is carried out in the driver&#39;s seat; the sliding door D is automatically opened by the electric door opening/closing system; and the lower latch mechanism  17  carries out a locking operation while the sliding door D is in a fully open state, thus maintaining the sliding door D in the fully open state. 
   When a closing operation is carried out with the inside handle  15  while the sliding door D is in an open state, the lock release actuator  18  operates in accordance with this closing operation; the front latch mechanism  13 , the remote control mechanism  16 , and the lower latch mechanism  17  operate as in the case where the switching operation for closing the sliding door D is carried out in the driver&#39;s seat; the sliding door D is automatically closed by the electric door opening/closing system; the rear latch mechanism  11  carries out a locking operation so as to achieve a fully closed state out of a half-closed state of the sliding door D, by starting an operation of the locking operation actuator  12 ; and the front latch mechanism  13  accordingly carries out a locking operation, thus maintaining the sliding door D in the fully closed state. 
   Also when a handle operation of the outside handle mechanism  14  is carried out, the lock release actuator  18 , the front latch mechanism  13 , the remote control mechanism  16 , the rear latch mechanism  11 , and the lower latch mechanism  17  operate in the same manner as in the above-mentioned operation of the inside handle  15 . 
   The remote control mechanism  16  includes: a lock knob  26  that moves between an upper unlock position and a lower lock position in accordance with a manual operation; a lock switching actuator  27  that moves the lock knob  26  in accordance with an operation in the driver&#39;s seat; and a child lock knob  28  that moves between an unlock position and a lock position in accordance with a manual operation; as well as switches (not illustrated) that detect an operation of the inside handle  15  and an operation input from the outside handle mechanism  14  via the first transmission cable  21 , the front latch mechanism  13 , and the second transmission cable  22 . 
   The remote control mechanism  16  is arranged so that, when the lock switching actuator  27  moves the lock knob  26  to the lock position in accordance with an operation in the driver&#39;s seat, or when the lock knob  26  is manually operated to the lock position, an operating force due to operation of the inside handle  15  and a force transmitted from the second transmission cable  22  are not transmitted to the third and fourth cables  23  and  24 . Further, the remote control mechanism  16  is arranged so that, when the child lock knob  28  is operated to the lock position while the lock knob  26  is in the unlock position, an operating force accompanying operation of the inside handle  15  is not transmitted to the third and fourth transmission cables  23  and  24 , and the lock release actuator  18  is maintained in a non-operating state without detecting an opening operation of the inside handle  15 . Therefore, while the sliding door D is in a closed locked state, even if an opening operation of the inside handle  15  or an opening operation of the outside handle mechanism  14  is carried out, the rear latch mechanism  11  and the front latch mechanism  13  will not operate so as to release the locked state. 
   Although the lock release actuator  18  is essential for a locking system for a power slide type sliding door D equipped with an electric door opening/closing system, when the lock release actuator  18  malfunctions, it is still possible to release the locked state of the rear latch mechanism  11 , the front latch mechanism  13 , and the lower latch mechanism  17 . That is, the remote control mechanism  16  can transmit, directly to the third, fourth, and fifth transmission cables  23 ,  24 , and  25 , an operating force for releasing the lock transmitted via the first transmission cable  21 , the front latch mechanism  13 , and the second transmission cable  22  accompanying operation of the outside handle mechanism  14 , and an operating force for releasing the lock accompanying operation of the inside handle  15 ; when the lock release actuator  18  malfunctions, the locked state of the rear latch mechanism  11 , the front latch mechanism  13 , and the lower latch mechanism  17  can still be released by mechanical transmission of the operating force accompanying operation of the outside handle mechanism  14  or operation of the inside handle  15 . 
   In  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the sliding door D includes an outer panel and an inner panel (not illustrated); a windowpane  30  is disposed between the outer panel and the inner panel, and can be raised and lowered while being guided by a runner  31 . The outside handle mechanism  14  is provided on the outer panel outwardly of the windowpane  30 , the remote control mechanism  16  is provided on the inner panel inwardly of the windowpane  30 . The front latch mechanism  13  is provided on the inner panel beneath the windowpane  30 . 
   The outside handle mechanism  14  is formed by pivotably mounting via a support shaft  34  a front part of the outside handle  33 , which extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body, in a front part of a handle case  32  mounted on the outer panel of the sliding door D. One end of the first transmission cable  21  is coupled to a connecting portion  33   a  provided integrally with a rear part of the outside handle  33  so as to run through the handle case  32  and project into the outer panel. 
   The first transmission cable  21  is formed from an inner cable  36  movably passed through an outer cable  35 ; one end of the outer cable  35  is fixedly supported by a cable support portion  32   a  provided integrally with the handle case  32 , and one end of the inner cable  36  projecting from said one end of the outer cable  35  is coupled to the connecting portion  33   a.    
   The first transmission cable  21  extends from the outside handle mechanism  14  to the front latch mechanism  13  side while bypassing the windowpane  30 . A cylindrical elastic cover  37  attached to the outer cable  35  in a longitudinally middle section of the first transmission cable  21  is wrapped around the runner  31  so as to curve from the outer side to the inner side. 
   Referring in addition to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , the front latch mechanism  13  includes: a casing  38  mounted on a front part of the inner panel of the sliding door D; a latch  40  supported in the casing  38  so as to be capable of pivoting by engaging with a striker  39  (see  FIG. 4 ) on the vehicle body when the sliding door D moves from an open state to a closed state; and a ratchet  41  that maintains an engaged state of the striker  39  with the latch  40  by engaging with the latch  40  in a state in which it has engaged with the striker  39  and pivoted. The latch  40  is spring-biased to a side in which engagement with the striker  39  is released, and the ratchet  41  is spring-biased in a direction in which the ratchet  41  engages with the latch  40 . 
   The casing  38  is formed from a metal base plate  42 , a synthetic resin case  43  housed in a substantially U-shaped housing portion  42   a  provided in the base plate  42 , a metal sheet  44 , the case  43  being sandwiched between the metal sheet  44  and the base plate  42 , and a synthetic resin cover  45  covering a part of the metal sheet  44 . 
   This casing  38  is provided with an insertion opening  46 , into which the striker  39  is removably inserted. The latch  40  is disposed between the case  43  and the metal sheet  44  so that a part of the latch  40  faces the insertion opening  46 . The latch  40  and the ratchet  41  are supported in the casing  38  so that they can pivot around axes that are parallel to each other. 
   The base plate  42  integrally includes a support plate portion  42   b  protruding sideways from the housing portion  42   a . A relay lever  50  is pivotably supported on this support plate portion  42   b  via the support shaft  51  which has an axis parallel to the pivoting axes of the latch  40  and the ratchet  41 . 
   The relay lever  50  has integral first and second cable connecting portions  50   a  and  50   b  disposed on one side of the support plate portion  42   b,  and a rod connecting portion  50   c  disposed on the other side of the support plate portion  42   b . The support plate portion  42   b  is provided with an opening  52  through which a part of the relay lever  50  runs such that the pivoting movement of the relay lever  50  is not obstructed. 
   A cable end  53  fixed to an end on the front latch mechanism  13  side of the outer cable  35  of the first transmission cable  21  is fixedly supported by a cable support portion  54  provided integrally with an upper part of the support plate portion  42   b  of the base plate  42 . An engagement piece  55  provided at the end of the inner cable  36  projecting from the cable end  53 , slidably engages with a first engagement hole  56  provided in the first cable connecting portion  50   a  of the relay lever  50 . The first engagement hole  56  is formed in an arc shape that conforms to an imaginary circle having the axis of the support shaft  51  as its center. 
   The rod connecting portion  50   c  of the relay lever  50  is provided with a second engagement hole  57  formed in an arc shape that conforms to the imaginary circle to which the first engagement hole  56  conforms. An engagement piece  58  provided at the extremity of the rod  19 , which extends from the lock release actuator  18 , slidably engages with the second engagement hole  57 . 
   The second transmission cable  22  is formed from an inner cable  61  movably passed through an outer cable  60 . The end of the inner cable  61  on the front latch mechanism  13  side is coupled to the second cable connecting portion  50   b  of the relay lever  50 . 
   When the outside handle  33  of the outside handle mechanism  14  is operated, an upward pulling force acts on the first transmission cable  21 , and the rod  19  is pulled toward the lock release actuator  18  in accordance with operation of the lock release actuator  18 . As a result of such operating forces transmitted from the first transmission cable  21  and the rod  19 , the relay lever  50  pivots in a transmission pivoting direction (the clockwise direction in  FIG. 4  and the anticlockwise direction in  FIG. 5 ) shown by the arrow  59  so as to pull the second transmission cable  22  downward. In order to convert either the operating force transmitted from the outside handle mechanism  14  or the operating force transmitted from the lock release actuator  18  into a pulling force for the second transmission cable  22  while avoiding mutual interference between the lock release actuator  18  and the outside handle mechanism  14 , when the outside handle mechanism  14  is in a non-operated state and the lock release actuator  18  is in a non-operated state, the engagement piece  55  fixed to the inner cable  36  of the first transmission cable  21  and the engagement piece  58  fixed to the rod  19  are set so as to be positioned at the lower ends, along the transmission pivoting direction  59  of the relay lever  50 , of the first and second engagement holes  56  and  57 . 
   A cable end  62  fixed to the end on the front latch mechanism  13  side of the outer cable  61  of the second transmission cable  22  is fixedly supported by a first stay  63  fixed to an upper part of the support plate portion  42   b  of the base plate  42  so that the position of the cable end  62  can be adjusted in a limited range along the longitudinal direction of the second transmission cable  22 . That is, the first stay  63  is provided with an oblong through-hole  64  which is long along the longitudinal direction of the second transmission cable  22 , and a projection  65  is projectingly provided integrally on the support plate portion  42   b  and fitted into the through-hole  64 . 
   A bolt  66  is inserted into the through-hole  64 ; screwing and tightening the bolt  66  into the support plate portion  42   b  enables the first stay  63  to be secured to the support plate portion  42   b . Since the projection  65  is fitted into the through-hole  64 , the first stay  63  can be secured to the support plate portion  42   b  by the single bolt  66 . Moreover, by adjusting the position of the bolt  66  along the longitudinal direction of the oblong through-hole  64 , the first stay  63  is secured to the support plate portion  42   b  so that the position of the first stay  63  can be changed in the limited range, thereby adjusting the length of the second transmission cable  22 . 
   A release lever  67  having one end thereof engaged with the ratchet  41  is disposed beneath the relay lever  50 . A middle section of the release lever  67  is pivotably supported in a lower part of the support plate portion  42   b  by the support shaft  68 , which is disposed beneath the support shaft  51  and which has an axis parallel to the support shaft  51 . 
   A pivoting force is transmitted from the fourth transmission cable  24  to the release lever  67  accompanying operation of the remote control mechanism  16 . When the release lever  67  is pivoted by the fourth transmission cable  24  in the anticlockwise direction in  FIG. 4  (the clockwise direction in  FIG. 5 ), the ratchet  41  is pivoted so as to release the engagement with the latch  40 , thereby releasing the closed locked state of the sliding door D caused by the front latch mechanism  13 . 
   The fourth transmission cable  24  is formed from an inner cable  70  movably passed through an outer cable  69 . The end of the inner cable  70  on the front latch mechanism  13  side is coupled to the other end of the release lever  67 . 
   A cable end  71  fixed to the end on the front latch mechanism  13  side of the outer cable  69  of the fourth transmission cable  24  is fixedly supported by a second stay  72  disposed in an upper part of the support plate portion  42   b  so as to be adjacent to the first stay  63 . The second stay  72  is fixed to the support plate portion  42   b  so that the position of the second stay  72  can be adjusted in a limited range along the longitudinal direction of the fourth transmission cable  24 . That is, the second stay  72  is provided with an oblong through-hole  73  which is long along the longitudinal direction of the fourth transmission cable  24 , and a projection  74  is projectingly provided integrally on the support plate portion  42   b  and fitted into the insertion hole  73 . 
   A bolt  75  is inserted through the insertion hole  73 ; screwing and tightening the bolt  75  into the support plate portion  42   b  enables the second stay  72  to be secured to the support plate portion  42   b . Since the projection  74  is fitted into the insertion hole  73 , the second stay  72  can Secured to the support plate portion  42   b  by the single bolt  75 . Moreover, by adjusting the position of the bolt  75  along the longitudinal direction of the oblong insertion hole  73 , the second stay  72  is secured to the support plate portion  42   b  so that the position of the second stay  72  can be changed in the limited range, thereby adjusting the length of the fourth transmission cable  24 . 
   The operation of this embodiment is now explained. The first transmission cable  21  for transmitting an operating force from the outside handle mechanism  14  extends to the front latch mechanism  13  side while bypassing the windowpane  30 . The first transmission cable  21  and the second transmission cable  22  are coupled to the relay lever  50 , which is pivotably supported in the casing  38  of the front latch mechanism  13  and is positioned inwardly of the windowpane  30 . The second transmission cable  22  transmits to the remote control mechanism  16  an operating force transmitted from the first transmission cable  21  to the relay lever  50 . 
   That is, since the operating force from the outside handle mechanism  14  is transmitted to the remote control mechanism  16  via the first transmission cable  21 , the relay lever  50 , and the second transmission cable  22 , and the first transmission cable  21  links the relay lever  50  to the outside handle mechanism  14 , an arrangement in which the windowpane  30  is bypassed is easily provided. Further, since the relay lever  50  is pivotably supported in the casing  38  of the front latch mechanism  13 , it is unnecessary to mount on the sliding door D any component used exclusively for pivotably supporting the relay lever  50  besides the front latch mechanism  13 , thus reducing the number of components. Furthermore, since it is unnecessary to assemble only the relay lever  50  to the sliding door D separately from the assembly of the front latch mechanism  13  to the sliding door D, the number of assembly steps can be reduced. 
   Further, since the lock release actuator  18  for applying an operating force for releasing the locked state to the rear latch mechanism  11 , the front latch mechanism  13 , and the lower latch mechanism  17  is coupled to the relay lever  50 , it is possible to simplify the power transmission route between the lock release actuator  18  and the remote control mechanism  16 , thus further reducing the number of components. Furthermore, by disposing the lock release actuator  18  in the vicinity of the front latch mechanism  13 , it is possible to apply the operating force from the lock release actuator  18  to all the latch mechanisms  11 ,  13 , and  17  while shortening the transmission route. 
   Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention can be modified in a variety of ways without departing from the subject matter thereof.