Patent Abstract:
A door handle device for vehicles includes a handle body positioned on an outer surface of a vehicle door and lifted to be pulled back when the vehicle door is opened. The handle body is provided with a finger rest which extends to at least three directions of four directions including up, down, right and left directions.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to door handle devices for vehicles, and particularly to techniques which improve the operationality thereof.  
           [0002]    Various types of door handle devices (outer handle devices) have been used for vehicles such as automobile, to open the doors from the outside. Generally, door handle devices have functions to disengage the door catch device as well as to operate as a door pull for opening the door. The door handle devices can be classified into three types in which: a flap type handle body is lifted up, such as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No.11-200669 (paragraphs [0003] to [0004], and FIG. 4); a flap type handle body is lifted in the rightward or leftward direction, such as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No.8-093278 (claim  1 , paragraphs [0002] to [0003], and FIG. 1); and a grip type door handle is held and then pulled back, such as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No.2003-041811 (claim  1 , paragraphs [0013] to [0014], and FIG. 3).  
           [0003]    When the driver or the like manipulates the handle body of the conventional door handle devices, it is necessary to insert his/her fingers underneath or sideward of the handle body or to hold the handle body from top and bottom. However, if the vehicle is used for a commuting purpose such as for shopping in town, the handle body is manipulated mainly by a housewife with shopping bags or a baby. For this reason, the conventional door handle devices have a difficulty in the operationality.  
           [0004]    For example, when a housewife holds a baby, etc. with her both hands engaged, she has to open the door by inserting her fingers from top or side of the door handle or from a diagonal direction of the door handle. In the vehicle equipped with the conventional door handle device, it is necessary to change the holding posture of the baby upon opening the door.  
           [0005]    In view of the above, the present invention in one preferred mode seeks to provide a door handle device for vehicles, which improves the operationality.  
           [0006]    Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the conventional door handle device  304  includes a handle base  321 , a handle body  324  pivotally supported by the handle base  321  through a support shaft  323  so as to turn around the support shaft  323 , and a rod  352  connecting the handle body  324  and a door catch device (not shown), so that the manipulating force applied to the handle body  324  is transmitted to the door catch through the rod  352 .  
           [0007]    However, the above conventional door handle device requires a relatively large manipulation amount of the handle body  324  for releasing the door catch device because it is difficult for a compact car to provide a large space at the reverse side of a door panel  310  and because of its leverage. This leads to deteriorated operational feel of the handle body  324  and a slippage of fingers  370  from the finger rest  340  because the turn angle of the handle body  324  becomes closer to the angle at which the fingers  370  pull open the door. Further, a passenger is likely to apply an unnecessary large force upon manipulation of the handle body  324 , which disadvantageously deforms the finger rest  340  of the handle body  324 .  
           [0008]    With the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art in view, the present invention in one preferred mode seeks to provide a door handle device for vehicles, which improves the operationality.  
           [0009]    Further, in the door handle device for vehicles disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No.11-200669, the door panel has a substantially rectangular opening with first and second sides which are parallel to each other, and a handle case for rotatably supporting a door handle abuts on the inner surface of the door panel at an outer side of the first side. The handle case also has a plurality of engaging nails which engage with the door panel at a part corresponding to the second side. The handle case is fixed to the door panel by a single screw member.  
           [0010]    In this door handle device for vehicles, the rotating movement of the door handle in a direction to open the door can be restricted with part of the door handle abutted against the handle case. However, the manipulating force may be applied further to the door handle that is in the restricted position, so that in the conventional door handle device local stress is focused on the fixing part between the handle case and the door panel and on the engaging part between the plurality of engaging nails of the handle case and the door panel, which is likely to cause a deformation of the door panel at the periphery of the opening.  
           [0011]    In view of the above, the present invention in one preferred mode seeks to provide a door handle device for vehicles, which prevents stress from being locally focused on the door panel even if the manipulating force is applied further to the door handle in the restricted position (rotational movement restriction position).  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door handle device for vehicles comprising: a handle body positioned on an outer surface of a vehicle door and lifted to be pulled back when the vehicle door is opened, wherein the handle body is provided with a finger rest which extends to at least three directions of four directions including up, down, right and left directions.  
           [0013]    With this construction of the door handle device, the driver or the like can insert her fingertips into the handle body from relatively arbitrary directions, thereby decreasing the necessity for changing the holding posture of a baby or shopping bags when the vehicle door is opened.  
           [0014]    In the aforementioned door handle device, with a finger rest space the handle body may be accommodated in a handle accommodating recess formed in the vehicle door.  
           [0015]    With this construction of the door handle device, it is possible to decrease the protrusion amount of the handle body from the door surface, thereby achieving a flash surface design.  
           [0016]    In the aforementioned door handle device, the finger rest of the handle body may have an arcuate profile.  
           [0017]    With this construction of the door handle device, the driver or the like can insert her fingertips into the handle body not only from up, down, right and left directions but also from arbitrary diagonal directions.  
           [0018]    In the aforementioned door handle device, the finger rest of the handle body may have a polygonal profile.  
           [0019]    With this construction of the door handle device, the handle body matches the design of a square-shaped vehicle. Further, the driver or the like can insert her fingertips into the handle body from up and down directions or right and left directions.  
           [0020]    The aforementioned door handle device may comprise: a handle base for supporting the handle body; a support arm extending from a reverse surface of the handle body and pivotally supported by the handle base; and a reinforcement rib positioned between the handle body and the support arm.  
           [0021]    With this construction of the door handle device, even if an excessive manipulating force is applied to the finger rest, a deformation or cracking hardly occurs at a part between the handle body and the support arm.  
           [0022]    In the aforementioned door handle device, the handle body may have a cover extending along a contour of the finger rest.  
           [0023]    With this construction of the door handle device, stiffness of the handle body can be improved without deteriorating operationality of the finger rest. This can effectively prevent a deformation of the handle body, even if an excessive manipulating force is applied to the finger rest. Further, because the handle body can be formed thinner while retaining a certain stiffness, even if the handle accommodating recess is not deep enough due to the inner handle within the vehicle door, it is possible to decrease the protrusion amount of the handle body from the door surface.  
           [0024]    In the aforementioned door handle device, a periphery of the handle body may curve inward.  
           [0025]    With this construction of the door handle device, a slippage of fingers from the finger rest hardly occurs, and stiffness of the handle body can be increased to thereby prevent a deformation of the handle body.  
           [0026]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door handle device for vehicles comprising: a handle body positioned on an outer surface of a vehicle door and lifted to disengage from a door catch device when the vehicle door is opened; a finger rest provided at the handle body for lifting the handle body; a handle base pivotally supporting the handle body through a rotating shaft such that the handle body turns around the rotating shaft; a connecting lever pivotally supported by the handle base through a pivot shaft and having an input portion that is engaged with the handle body and an output portion that is engaged with the door catch device; and an engagement portion provided at the handle body and engaged with the input portion of the connecting lever, wherein the pivot shaft is positioned intermediate between the finger rest and the rotating shaft.  
           [0027]    With this construction of the door handle device, even if the lifting amount of the handle body is set for a small amount, the rotating amount of the connecting lever (displacement amount of the rod, etc.) can be sufficiently large, such as by positioning the engagement portion of the handle body remotely from the rotating shaft of the handle body or by setting the distance between the pivot shaft and the engagement portion smaller than the distance between pivot shaft and the rotating shaft.  
           [0028]    In the aforementioned door handle device, the engagement portion may slidably engage with the input portion of the connecting lever.  
           [0029]    With this construction of the door handle device, engagement between the handle body and the connecting lever can be readily made, thereby improving the degree of freedom for design.  
           [0030]    In the aforementioned door handle device, the connecting lever may be positioned such that a distance between the output portion and the pivot shaft becomes greater than a distance between the input portion and the pivot shaft.  
           [0031]    With this construction of the door handle device, the displacement amount of the rod, etc. connected to the output portion of the connecting lever can be increased against the displacement amount of the engagement portion of the handle body, thereby decreasing the lifting amount of the handle body.  
           [0032]    In the aforementioned door handle device, at least one of the input portion of the connecting lever and the engagement portion of the handle body may be provided with an elastic member at its engagement surface.  
           [0033]    With this construction of the door handle device, noise or friction caused by a contact of the parts can be restricted at the time of operation of the handle body, thereby improving the operational feel of the handle body.  
           [0034]    In the aforementioned door handle device, at least one of the input portion of the connecting lever and the engagement portion of the handle body may be provided with a low friction member at its engagement surface.  
           [0035]    With this construction of the door handle device, friction resistance between the parts can be decreased at the time of operation of the handle body, thereby leading to a smooth operation is and improved durability.  
           [0036]    According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a door handle device for vehicles comprising: a handle case including a case main body which abuts on an outer surface of a door panel at a periphery of an opening provided in the door panel, and a pair of supporting arms integral with the case main body and extending through the opening toward an interior of a vehicle, the handle case being fixed to the door panel; and a door handle including a handle positioned outside of the vehicle and being pivotally supported by the supporting arms of the handle case through a support shaft, wherein the opening is substantially rectangular in shape having a first side and a second side which are substantially parallel to an axis of the support shaft with the first side sandwiched between the support shaft and the second side, wherein a reinforcement plate made of metal with a sufficient stiffness includes a sandwiched portion for being sandwiched between the door panel and the supporting arms at an outer side of the first side, and a mounting plate portion for sandwiching the door panel against the case main body at an outer side of the second side, and wherein the reinforcement plate abuts on an inner surface of the door panel at the periphery of the opening and is threadedly engaged with the case main body by a screw member inserted through the mounting plate portion and the door panel.  
           [0037]    With this construction of the door handle device, because the sandwiched portion of the reinforcement plate is sandwiched between the door panel and the supporting arms of the handle case at the outer side of the first side of the opening, the reinforcement plate and the handle case can be reliably fixed to the door panel only by fastening the mounting plate portion, which sandwiches the door panel against the case main body at the outer side of the second side of the opening, to the case main body. If a further manipulating force is applied to the door handle that is in the rotation restricted position, a load from the handle case is transmitted to the reinforcement plate, which is abutted on the inner surface of the door panel at the periphery of the opening, stress can be dispersed around the periphery of the opening, thereby preventing a local stress being focused on the door panel.  
           [0038]    In the aforementioned door handle device, the reinforcement plate may include an arm support portion -which abuts on the supporting arms from an opposite side of the door panel at a position adjacent to the support shaft.  
           [0039]    With this construction of the door handle device, even if a further manipulating force is applied to the door handle that is in the rotation restricted position, the arm support portion of the reinforcement plate can receive the load applied to the supporting arms, thereby preventing a local stress being focused in the proximity of the support shaft of the supporting arms.  
           [0040]    In the aforementioned door handle device, the case main body may include positioning projections for being inserted into corresponding positioning holes provided in the door panel and the mounting plate portion at a position outside the second side.  
           [0041]    With this construction of the door handle device, upon mounting the handle case and the reinforcement plate to the door panel, the positioning can be made only inserting the positioning projections into the positioning holes provided in the mounting plate portion of the reinforcement plate and the door panel, which can ease the screwing operation of the screw member. This can improve the assembling efficiency. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0042]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 1 is a view for explaining operation of the conventional door handle device;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vehicle according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view with the A part of FIG. 1 partly enlarged;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 4 is an enlarged view as viewed from the arrow B of FIG. 1 ;  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 5 is a view as viewed from the arrow C of FIG. 4 with the door panel shown in section;  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line D-D of FIG. 4;  
         [0049]    [0049]FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line E-E of FIG. 4;  
         [0050]    [0050]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the handle body as viewed from the reverse side thereof;  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line F-F of FIG. 7;  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line G-G of FIG. 7;  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line H-H of FIG. 7;  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 12 is a view explaining operation of the door handle device according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating a first modified embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 14 is a side view illustrating a second modified embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 15 shows figures illustrating a third modified embodiment, in which (a) is a side view, and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line I-I of (a);  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 16 shows figures illustrating a fourth modified embodiment, in which (a) is a side view, and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line J-J of (a);  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 17 is a side view illustrating a fifth modified embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 18 shows figures illustrating a sixth modified embodiment, in which (a) is a side view, and (b) is a view as viewed from the arrow K of (a);  
         [0061]    [0061]FIG. 19 shows figures illustrating a seventh modified embodiment, in which (a) is a side view, and (b) is a view as viewed from the arrow L of (a);  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 20 is a view explaining operations of the handle body and the lever;  
         [0063]    [0063]FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the door handle device according to a second embodiment;  
         [0064]    [0064]FIG. 22 is a front view of the door handle device shown in FIG. 21;  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 23 is a transverse side view of the door handle device as viewed from the arrow M of FIG. 22;  
         [0066]    [0066]FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along the line N-N of FIG. 22;  
         [0067]    [0067]FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken along the line O-O of FIG. 22;  
         [0068]    [0068]FIG. 26 is a back view as viewed from the arrow P of FIG. 25;  
         [0069]    [0069]FIG. 27 is a sectional view taken along the line Q-Q of FIG. 25;  
         [0070]    [0070]FIG. 28 is a sectional view taken along the line R-R of FIG. 25; and  
         [0071]    [0071]FIG. 29 is a sectional view taken along the line S-S of FIG. 25. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     FIRST EMBODIMENT  
       [0072]    With reference to FIGS.  2  to  19 , a door handle device according to the present invention will be described as one preferred embodiment which is applied to an automobile (compact car).  
         [0073]    When explaining the parts in figures, left side of FIGS. 2 and 4 is referred to as rear side, and top side of FIG. 4 is referred to as top side.  
         [0074]    As shown in FIG. 2, a front door  2  and a rear door  3  are provided at the side surface of the vehicle  1 . Provided at a rear side of each door  2 ,  3  is a door handle device  4 . As seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, a handle accommodating recess  11  having a dish-shaped cross section is formed by pressing at a door panel  10  which forms the front door  2 . The door handle device  4  is accommodated in the handle accommodating recess  11 . In FIG. 3, the reference numeral  12  denotes a supporting bracket made by pressing a steel plate. The supporting bracket  12  is fixed to the reverse surface of the door panel  10 . The reference numerals  13  and  14  respectively denote a mounting bolt for the door handle device  4 , and a cylinder lock for locking and unlocking the door lock.  
         [0075]    As seen in FIG. 3, the handle accommodating recess  11  of the door panel  10  includes a mounting hole  15  substantially in the form of a rectangle, and a supporting seat surface  16  and an engagement recess  17  which are used for fixing the door handle device  4 . The front part of the door handle device  4  is for being inserted into the mounting hole  15 . Provided in the supporting seat surface  16  are a bolt hole  18 , and a pair of positioning holes  19  which are positioned vertically in a manner sandwiching the bolt hole  18 .  
         [0076]    As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the door handle device  4  mainly includes a handle base  21  made by injection molding of a plastic material, a support shaft (rotating shaft)  23  made of steel, plastic, etc. and vertically extending through the front part  22  of the handle base  21 , and a handle body  24  made by injection molding of a plastic material and pivotally supported by the handle base  21  through the support shaft  23 .  
         [0077]    The supporting bracket  12  is fixed to the door panel  10  with its rear part tightly contacting with the reverse surface of the handle accommodating recess  11 . The supporting bracket  12  has a retaining hole  27  substantially in the form of a rectangle at a position corresponding to the mounting hole  15 , so that the handle base  21  is fitted into the retaining hole  27  with a play.  
         [0078]    The supporting bracket  12  has at its front part a pair of upper and lower retaining strips  28 ,  29  substantially bent in the shape of Z, and at the rear end part is provided a bolt hole  30  and a pair of upper and lower positioning oblong holes  31  which are positioned vertically in a manner sandwiching the bolt hole  30 . The supporting bracket  12  further includes a pair of upper and lower abutting members  33  which abuts against the inner surface of the door panel  10 . In order to prevent noise (contact noise) from occurring at the time of abutment between the abutting members  33  and the inner surface of the door panel  10 , nonwoven fabric  32  is attached to the front and reverse surfaces of each abutting member  33 .  
         [0079]    As shown in FIG. 6, the front part of the handle base  21  extends through the mounting hole  15  of the door panel  10  and the retaining hole  27  of the supporting bracket  12  from the outside toward the interior of the vehicle  1 , and as shown in FIG. 4, the front end part  22  of the handle base  21  is sandwiched between the front fringe part  34  and the retaining strips  28 ,  29  of the supporting bracket  12 . The handle base  21  temporally retains a metal nut  35  at the rear end thereof as illustrated in FIG. 9. Further, the handle base  21  has two positioning projections  36  which are vertically positioned in a manner sandwiching the nut  35 , and an engagement projection  37  (FIG. 7) in a position corresponding to the engagement recess  17  of the handle accommodating recess  11 . The nut  35  may be embedded during the injection molding of the handle base  21 , or alternatively, the nut  35  maybe fitted and glued into the handle base  21  after the handle base  21  is formed by injection molding.  
         [0080]    As seen in FIG. 9, the rear part of the handle base  21  is positioned against the door panel  10  in such a manner that the positioning projections  36  penetrate through the positioning holes  19  of the door panel  10  and the positioning oblong holes  31  of the supporting bracket  12 . Also, as seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the front part of the handle base  21  is positioned against the door panel  10  in such a manner that the engagement projection  37  of the handle base  21  engages with the engagement recess  17  of the handle accommodating recess  11 . The supporting bracket  12  and the handle base  21  are fixed to the door panel  10  with the mounting bolt  13  penetrating through the bolt hole  18  of the door panel  10  and the bolt hole  30  of the supporting bracket  12  and threadedly engaged with the nut  35 , as illustrated in FIG. 9.  
         [0081]    As shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and  8 , the handle body  24  includes a circular plate-like finger rest  40  with its peripheral edge curved inwardly, and a substantially rectangular-shaped base  41  continuously extending from the finger rest  40 . A support arm  42  having an L-shaped cross section extends integrally from the reverse surface of the base  41 . As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, provided at the reverse surface of the finger rest  40  are an abutment arm  44  having an abutment projection (engagement portion)  43 , and a cover  48  substantially in U-shaped cross section. In this preferred embodiment, a pair of upper and lower reinforcement ribs  45 ,  46  (FIGS. 6 and 7) is provided between the base  41  of the handle body  24  and the side surface of the support arm  42 . Also, as seen in FIGS.  2  to  7 , a pair of upper and lower reinforcement ribs  47 ,  49  (FIGS. 6 and 7) is provided between the finger rest  40  of the handle body  24  and the cover  48 .  
         [0082]    As shown in FIGS. 6 and 10, a connecting lever  51  substantially in the form of a triangle is pivotally supported by the handle base  21  through a pin (pivot shaft)  50  that is made of steel or plastic. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, a rod retaining portion (output portion)  57  formed in the upper part (interior side of the vehicle) of the connecting lever  51  is connected to one end of the rod  52  of the door catch device (not shown), so that when the connecting lever  51  rotates in the anticlockwise direction to move the rod  52  in the leftward direction of FIGS. 6 and 7, the door catch device releases the door. The reference numeral  53  shown in FIGS. 6 and 10 denotes a torsion coil spring wound around the connecting lever  51 . The torsion coil spring  53  urges the connecting lever  51  in the clockwise direction of FIG. 6.  
         [0083]    As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the connecting lever  51  has an abutment portion (input portion)  54 . A cap member  55  made of elastic material or a low friction material is fitted onto the abutment portion  54 . The abutment portion  54  abuts on or engages with the abutment projection  43  of the abutment arm  44  provided on the handle body  24  through the cap member  55 . Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the handle base  21  is provided with a stopper  60 , while the handle body  24  is provided with a stopper  61 , so that the abutment of these stoppers  60 ,  61  restricts the rotating amount of the handle body  24  relative to the handle base  21 .  
         [0084]    Operation of the door handle device  4  according to the first embodiment will be described below.  
         [0085]    When a driver (or a passenger) rides in the vehicle  1 , the driver stands in front of the front door  2  and lifts the handle body  24 . The connecting lever  51  engaged with the abutment arm  44  of the handle body  24  is then rotated in the anticlockwise direction of FIG. 7, so that the rod  52  of the door catch device is moved in the leftward direction of the figure. This releases the front door  2  from the door catch device, and when the driver further pulls the handle body  24 , the front door  2  is pulled open.  
         [0086]    In the case where the driver holds a baby or shopping bags with her both hands engaged, she has to open the vehicle door by inserting her fingers only in the direction from top or side of the door handle or from a diagonal direction of the door handle. However, according to this embodiment, the handle body  24  has a circular plate-like finger rest  40 . Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the driver can insert her fingertips  70  into the handle body  24  from three directions including up, down, and rear directions, and the insertion angle, at which the driver can insert her fingertips, is as large as about 250°. This allows the driver to open the front door  2  without the necessity for changing the holding posture of a baby or shopping bags. According to this embodiment, because the periphery of the finger rest  40  curves inward, fingertips of the driver hardly slip off from the finger rest  40 , thereby allowing a reliable operation of the door handle device  4 .  
         [0087]    Meanwhile, if the driver forcefully pulls open the handle body  24 , because the stoppers  60 ,  61  have been abutted on each other, stress is locally focused on the relatively weak fixing part between the support arm  42  and the base  41 . However, according to this embodiment, two reinforcement ribs  45 ,  46  are provided in the proximity of the contact surfaces between the support arm  42  and the base  41 . Therefore, a deformation hardly occurs between the support arm  42  and the base  41 .  
         [0088]    Further, because a pair of upper and lower reinforcement ribs  47 ,  49  is provided between the finger rest  40  and the cover  48 , the handle body  24  has a sufficient stiffness. With the provision of the reinforcement ribs  47 ,  49  as well as the inwardly curved periphery of the finger rest  40 , even if an excessive manipulating force is applied to the finger rest  40 , a deformation of the handle body  24  can be prevented effectively. Further, because the handle body  24  can be formed thinner while retaining a sufficient stiffness, even in the case where sufficient depth of the handle accommodating recess  11  is not kept due to the inner handle provided in the vehicle door, it is possible to prevent the handle body  24  from protruding outward of the vehicle body.  
         [0089]    Various changes or modifications of the door handle device  4  may be made within the scope of the present invention. For example, the door handle device  4  according to this embodiment has been described as one applied to a front or rear door of an automobile. However, the present invention may be applied to a door handle device provided at the tail gate or the like. Also, the present invention may be applied to a door handle device for other than automobile.  
         [0090]    As a first modified embodiment, in place of the handle body  24  having a circular plate-like finger rest  40  and a substantially rectangular-shaped base  41 , the handle body  24 A may consist of a square finger rest  40 A and a base  41 A (see FIG. 13). Also, as a second modified embodiment, the handle body  24 B may consist of an equilateral octagonal finger rest  40 B and a base  41 B (see FIG. 14). According to these modified embodiments, operationality of the handle body can be improved for particular angles at which the driver inserts her fingers into the finger rest  40 A,  40 B.  
         [0091]    As a third modified embodiment, as shown in FIGS.  15 ( a ) and ( b ), the handle body  24 C may include a finger rest  40 C having an annular groove  71  at its outer periphery of the front surface. According to this modified embodiment, fingers are not likely to slip off from the finger rest  40 C. As a fourth modified embodiment, as shown in FIGS.  16 ( a ) and ( b ), the handle body  24 D may include a finger rest  40 D having a square groove  72  at its front surface. According to this modified embodiment, weight of the handle body  24 D can be decreased, while providing various design variations. Further, as a fifth modified embodiment, the handle body may only consist of a circular (polygonal) plate-like finger rest  40 E as illustrated in FIG. 17, so that the driver can insert her fingertips from all the directions throughout 360 degrees. According to this modified embodiment, operation of the handle body can be improved further.  
         [0092]    Further, as seen in FIGS.  18 ( a ) and ( b ), in place of the two reinforcement ribs  45 ,  46  provided between the base  41  and the support arm  42 , a reinforcement rib  75  which consists of a circular member  73  and a rectangular member  74  may be employed as a sixth modified embodiment. Alternatively, as seen in FIGS.  19 ( a ) and ( b ), there may be provided a reinforcement rib  78  which consists of a radially extending member  76  and a rectangular member  77 , as a seventh modified embodiment. According to these modified embodiments, because the base  41  and the support arm  42  are joined very strongly to each other, a deformation hardly occurs at the joint therebetween.  
         [0093]    Various changes or modifications, such as structure of the door handle device, shape of the handle accommodating recess or the support arm, etc, material of each element, and the insertion angle at which the driver can insert her fingertips into the handle body, may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.  
         [0094]    Further, when the driver pulls the handle body  24  to open the front door  2 , as best seen in FIG. 20, because the distance M between the support shaft  23  and the abutment projection  43  as the engagement portion is sufficiently long, the displacement amount of the abutment projection  43  with respect to the lifting amount of the handle body  24  becomes relatively large. In the connecting lever  51 , the distance L 1  between the center P of the rod retaining portion (output portion)  57  and the pin  50  is set to be greater than the distance L 2  between the abutment portion  54  (actually the cap member  55 ) as the input portion and the pin  50 . Further, the pin  50  is positioned between the support shaft  23  for pivotally supporting the handle body  24  and the finger rest  40 , and the distance O between the pin  50  and the abutment projection  43  is set to be smaller than the distance N between the pin  50  and the support shaft  23 .  
         [0095]    According to the above construction, even if the lifting amount of the handle body  24  (illustrated by “d” in FIG. 20) is small, the displacement angle θ of the connecting lever  51  that is moved by the abutment projection  43  becomes relatively large. The leverage (L 1 /L 2 ) of the connecting lever  51  is sufficiently large such as of approximately 1.5, so that the rod  52  displaces to a great extent such as shown by the distance D in the figure and releases the door catch device.  
         [0096]    Also, according to this embodiment, because the cap member  55  made of an elastic material or a low friction material is fitted onto the abutment portion  54  of the connecting lever  51 , it is possible to reduce noise derived from the contact against the abutment projection  43  of the handle body  24  (in the case where the cover member  55  is an elastic member) or to achieve a smooth operation and improved durability (in the case where the cover member  55  is a low frictional material).  
         [0097]    Various changes or modifications of the door handle device  4  may be made within the scope of the present invention, and for example, specific structures of the door handle device  4 , the connecting lever  51 , and other structural elements may be changed or modified.  
         [0098]    In the above embodiment, the connecting lever  51  and the door catch device are connected through the rod  52 . However, the connecting lever  51  may directly release the door catch device. Such a construction contributes to a reduction in the number of constructing parts, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and the number of assembling processes. Also, the leverage of the connecting lever  51  is not limited to this specific value shown in the above embodiment, and any arbitrary values may be possible. Further, the engagement between the handle body  24  and the connecting lever  51  is not limited to the slip engagement, and other known engagement such as by means of a pin may be possible.  
       SECOND EMBODIMENT  
       [0099]    With reference to FIGS.  21  to  29 , a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below.  
         [0100]    As shown in FIGS.  21  to  23 , a door panel  111  used for a vehicle door is provided with a cylinder lock  112  for locking and unlocking a door lock device (not shown) that is arranged between the vehicle body (not shown) and the door panel  111 , and a door handle device  113  for opening the door panel  111  when the door lock device is unlocked. The door handle device  113  includes a handle case  114 , a door handle  115  pivotally supported by the handle case  114  through a support shaft  117 , and a reinforcement plate  116  for mounting the handle case  114  to the door panel  111 .  
         [0101]    A dish-like recess  118  is dented inwardly at an outer surface of the door panel  111 . The recess  118  is partly cut off to provide an opening  119  of the door panel  111 . The opening  119  is substantially rectangular having a first side  119   a  and a second side  119   b  which are substantially parallel to an axis of the support shaft  117  with the first side  119   a  sandwiched between the support shaft  117  and the second side  119   b.    
         [0102]    As seen in FIGS.  24  to  27 , the handle case  114  is made of hard plastic and includes a case main body  114   a  which abuts on the outer surface of the door panel  111  at the periphery of the opening  119 , a pair of upper and lower supporting arms  114   b  integral with the case main body  114   a  and extending through the opening  119  toward the interior of the vehicle, and a connecting portion  114   c  integrally connecting the distal ends of the supporting arm  114   b.    
         [0103]    One end of the case main body  114   a  is formed as a barrel shape extending a long a plane substantially parallel to the outer surface of the door panel  111 , and the proximal ends of the supporting arms  114   b  are joined integrally to the other end of the case main body  114   a  in a manner spaced apart to each other. The support shaft  117  is provided between the distal ends of the supporting arms  114   b.    
         [0104]    Provided at the outer surface of the door panel  111  and at the periphery of the opening  119  is an abutment seat  120 . As seen in FIG. 28, the case main body  114   a  is provided with abutting projections  114   d  at the other end of the case main body  114   a,  so that the abutting projections  114   d  abut on the abutment seat  120  in a manner opposing to the recess  118  of the door panel  111  at the periphery of the opening  119 . An engagement recess  121  is provided at an intermediate of the first side  119   a  of the opening  119 , and an engagement projection  114   e  of the case main body  114   a  is fitted into and engaged with the engagement recess  121 .  
         [0105]    The door handle  115  includes a handle  115   a  positioned outside of the door panel  111 , a pair of upper and lower arms  115   b  which are integral with the handle  115   a  and extending through the opening  119  toward the interior of the vehicle, and a shaft support portion  115   c  connecting the distal ends of the arms  115   b.  The door handle  115   c  is made of hard plastic.  
         [0106]    The handle  115   a  consists of a barrel portion  115   a   1  which covers the case main body  114   a  from the outer side, and a lid portion  115   a   2  which closes the outer end of the barrel portion  115   a   1 . The lid portion  115   a   2  extends laterally from the barrel portion  115   a   1  at the opposite side of the support shaft  117 , so that the extension of the lid portion  115   a   2  can be held for manipulation.  
         [0107]    The arms  115   b  have substantially L-shaped cross section, and the proximal ends of the arms  115   b  are spaced apart in vertical direction and integral with the inner surface of the lid portion  115   a   2  of the handle  115   a.  The pair of arms  115   b  is positioned between the supporting arms  114   b  of the handle case  114  so as to extend through the opening  119  toward the interior of the vehicle. As seen in FIG. 29, the shaft support portion  115   c  connecting the distal ends of the arms  115   b  is pivotally supported by the arms  115   b  through the support shaft  117 .  
         [0108]    A lever  122  is positioned between the supporting arms  114   b  of the case main body  114   a.  The lever  122  is pivotally supported by the shaft  123 . The shaft  123  is parallel to the support shaft  117  and extends between the arms  114   b.    
         [0109]    An abutment arm  124  extends integrally from the inner surface of the lid portion  115   a   2  of the handle  115   a  toward the inside of the case main body  114   a.  The abutment arm  124  includes an abutment recess  125  which opens toward the lever  122 . An abutment portion  122   a  is integral with the lever  122  and extends toward the abutment recess  125 . An elastic cap member  126  is fitted onto the abutment portion  122   a  so that the abutment portion  122   a  abuts on or engages with the abutment recess  125  through the cap member  126 . When the door handle  115  turns around the support shaft  117 , the lever  122  also rotates through the shaft  123 . The lever  122  is connected to one end of a transmission member  127 , such as a rod, which transmits the release manipulating force to the door lock device.  
         [0110]    As seen in FIG. 26, a pair of guide surfaces  128  is provided at the case main body  114   a  of the handle case  114  so as to slidably guide both side surfaces of the abutment arm  124 . Provided between the case main body  114   a  and the lever  122  is a torsion coil spring  129  which applies a spring force to resist the rotating operation of the door handle  115  toward the release direction.  
         [0111]    At both upper and lower sides of the distal portion of the abutment arm  124  there are provided stopper projections  130 . The case main body  114   a  includes a pair of stoppers  131  which abuts on the corresponding stopper projections  130  to restrict the rotating movement of the door handle  115  toward the opening direction.  
         [0112]    The reinforcement plate  116  is made of a metal plate member having sufficient stiffness. The reinforcement plate  116  abuts against the inner surface of the door panel  111  around the periphery of the opening  119 . The reinforcement plate  116  includes a sandwiched portion  116   a  for being sandwiched between the door panel  111  and the pair of supporting arms  114   b  of the handle case  114  at the outer side of the first side  119   a  of the opening  119 , and a mounting plate portion  116   b  for sandwiching the door panel  111  against the case main body  114   a  at the outer side of the second side  119   b  of the opening  119 .  
         [0113]    The sandwiched portion  116   a  consists of a plate-like abutment plate portion  116   a   1  which abuts on the supporting arms  114   b  of the handle case  114  from the side of the door panel  111  at the outer side of the first side  119   a,  and a pair of projecting portions  116   a   2  substantially in the form of the letter L and projecting from the abutment plate portion  116   a   1 . The projecting portions  116   a   2  contact with the inner surface of the door panel  111 .  
         [0114]    The mounting plate portion  116   b  has a plate-like shape and contacts with the inner surface of the door panel  111  at the outer side of the second side  119   b.  A screw member  132  is inserted through the mounting plate portion  116   b  and the door panel  111  and threadedly engaged with a nub  133  fixed to the case main body  114   a.    
         [0115]    The nut  133  is fixed to the case main body  114   a  of the handle case  114 . The nut  133  is embedded into the handle case  114  during injection molding of the handle case that is made of plastic. An elastic cap  134  that is attached to the nut  133  abuts on the abutment seat  120 .  
         [0116]    At the outer side of the second side  119   b,  the abutment seat  120  of the door panel  111  and the mounting plate portion  116   b  are respectively provided with insertion holes  135 ,  136  for inserting the screw member  132 , and a pair of positioning holes  137 ,  138  positioned sandwiching the insertion hole  135 ,  136  therebetween. The positioning holes  138  provided in the mounting plate portion  116   b  are formed as an oblong hole extending in the front and rear directions. Meanwhile, the case main body  114   a  is provided with a pair of positioning projections  139  each inserted into the positioning holes  137 ,  138 .  
         [0117]    The reinforcement plate  116  is further provided with (integral with) a pair of arm support portions  116   c  which abuts on the corresponding supporting arms  114   b  of the handle case  114  from the opposite side of the door panel  111  at the position adjacent to the support shaft  117 .  
         [0118]    When the door handle device  113  is mounted to the door panel  111 , the supporting arms  114   b  of the handle case  114 , to which are previously assembled the door handle  115 , the lever  122 , and the torsion coil spring  129 , are inserted through the opening  111  toward the interior of the vehicle (inner side of the door panel  111 ). At the same time, the case main body  114   a  of the handle case  114  is positioned such that the abutting projections  114   d  at the other end of the case main body  114   a  abut on the abutment seat  120  at the periphery of the opening  119  and the positioning projections  139  of the case main body  114   a  are inserted into the corresponding positioning holes  137  provided in the abutment seat  120 . Next, the reinforcement plate  116  is slid along the inner surface of the door panel  111  from the front side of the vehicle, that is, from the supporting arms  114   b.  Further, the sandwiched portion  116   a  of the reinforcement plate  116  is sandwiched between the pair of supporting arms  114   b  and the door panel  111  at the outer side of the first side  119   a  of the opening  119 , and the positioning projections  139  partly projecting from the positioning holes  137  are inserted into the positioning holes  138  of the mounting plate portion  116   b,  so that mounting plate portion  116   b  contact with the inner surface of the door panel  111  at the outer side of the second side  119   b  of the opening  119 . When doing so, because the positioning holes  138  of the mounting plate portion  116   b  are formed as oblong apertures extending in front and rear directions of the vehicle, insertion of the positioning projections  139  into the corresponding positioning holes  138  can be readily made. Finally, the door handle device  113  is mounted to the door panel  111  by inserting the screw member  132  into the insertion holes  136 ,  135  of the mounting plate portion  116   b  and the door panel  111  and threadedly engaged with the nut  133  fixed to the handle case  114 .  
         [0119]    Operation of the door handle device  113  according to this preferred embodiment will be described below. The opening  119  provided in the door panel  111  is substantially rectangular and has the first side  119   a  substantially parallel to the axis of the support shaft  117 , and the second side  119   b  substantially parallel to the first side  119   a  and positioned for sandwiching the first side  119   a  against the support shaft  117 . The reinforcement plate  116 , which is made of a metal plate having a sufficient stiffness and which abuts on the inner surface of the door panel  111  at the periphery of the opening  119 , is provided with the sandwiched portion  116   a  sandwiched between the supporting arms  114   b  of the handle case  114  and the door panel  111  at the outer side of the first side  119   a,  and the mounting plate portion  116   b  for sandwiching the door panel  111  against the case main body  114   a  of the handle case  114  at the outer side of the second side  119   b.  The reinforcement plate  116  is fixed to the door panel  111  and the handle case  114  by inserting the screw member  132  through the mounting plate portion  116   b  and the door panel  111  and being threadedly engaged with the nut  133  of the case main body  114   a.    
         [0120]    In other words, the reinforcement plate  116  and the handle case  114  can be reliably fixed to the door panel  111  only by sandwiching the sandwiched portion  116   a  between the door panel  111  and the supporting arms  114   b  of the handle case  114  at the outer side of the first side  119   a  of the opening  119  and by fastening the mounting plate portion  116   b,  which sandwiches the door panel  111   a  against the case main body  114   a  at the outer side of the second side  119   b  of the opening  119 , to the case main body  114   a.    
         [0121]    If a further manipulating force is applied to the door handle  115  that is in the rotation restricted position where the stopper projections  130  abut against the stoppers  131 , a load is applied to the whole handle case  114  so as to rotate the handle case  114  in the anticlockwise direction of FIG. 24 with the abutment portion between the stopper projections  130  and the stoppers  131  being functioned as a fulcrum. However, because the load from the handle case  114  is transmitted to the reinforcement plate  116 , which is abutted on the inner surface of the door panel  111  at the periphery of the opening  119 , stress is dispersed around the periphery of the opening  119 , thereby preventing a local stress being focused on the door panel  111 .  
         [0122]    Further, the reinforcement plate  116  is integrally provided with a pair of arm support portions  116   c  each of which abuts on the corresponding supporting arm  114   b  from the opposite side of the door panel  111  at a position adjacent to the support shaft  117 . Therefore, even if a further manipulating force is applied to the door handle  115  that is in the rotation restricted position, the arm support portions  116   c  of the reinforcement plate  116  can receive the load applied to the supporting arms  114   b,  thereby preventing a local stress from being focused in the proximity of the support shaft  117  of the supporting arms  114   b.    
         [0123]    Furthermore, the positioning projections  139  projects from the case main body  114   a  of the handle case  114  for being inserted through the positioning holes  137 ,  138  respectively provided in the door panel  111  and the mounting plate portion  116   b  at the outer side of the second side  119   b  of the opening  119 . Therefore, upon mounting the handle case  114  and the reinforcement plate  116  to the door panel  111 , the positioning can be made only by inserting the positioning projections  139  into the positioning holes  138 ,  137  provided in the mounting plate portion  116   b  of the reinforcement plate  116  and the door panel  111 , which can ease the screwing operation of the screw member  132 . This can improve the assembling efficiency.  
         [0124]    While the present invention has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8