JP7567524B2 - Vehicle door handle structure - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a vehicle door handle structure in which the door handle lever is flush with the door outer panel when the door handle lever is stored.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a vehicle door handle structure with a flush surface structure in which the door handle lever (so-called lever) is stored so as to be flush with the door outer panel is known.

The vehicle door handle structure disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a seesaw-type door handle structure in which a door handle lever is supported by a shaft extending in the vertical direction, a spring attached to the shaft biases the door handle lever in the storage direction, and an alternate mechanism operates a protrusion attached near the lever shaft to cause the lever to protrude.

Instead of the alternate mechanism described above, it is also possible to provide an arm driven by an electric motor, and configure the door handle lever to be able to protrude and retract from the door panel via this arm.

In this case, the further the door handle lever is extended, the greater the spring reaction force of the spring attached to the shaft becomes. Because the output (generated torque) of the electric motor is constant, there is a problem in that when the door handle lever is extended from the storage position to the gripping position, a load is applied to the electric motor due to the increased spring reaction force.

JP 2020-94455 A

Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a vehicle door handle structure that can reduce the load on the drive mechanism even if the biasing force in the storage direction increases as the lever protrudes.

The vehicle door handle structure according to the present invention comprises a hinge arm having a lever at one end that can be extended and retracted from a door panel, a pivot shaft that rotates the lever so that it protrudes from the door panel, and a drive unit that transmits power to the hinge arm so that the lever protrudes from the door panel. The lever is configured to be rotatable between a storage position where the lever is flush with the door panel, a grip position where the drive unit causes the lever to protrude from the door panel so that the user can grip it, and an open position where the lever protrudes further than the grip position. The lever is biased in the storage direction by a biasing means provided on the pivot shaft, and the drive unit is configured so that the force that protrudes the lever at the grip position is greater than the force that protrudes the lever at the initial protrusion position where the lever begins to protrude from the storage position.

According to the above configuration, the more the lever protrudes, the greater the biasing force applied by the biasing means to the lever in the storage direction. However, since the force that causes the lever to protrude in the gripping position is greater than the force that causes the lever to protrude in the initial protrusion position, the load on the drive unit is reduced, allowing the lever to be operated without applying a load.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the drive device includes a motor, and the drive device maintains the gripping position without requiring output from the motor when in the gripping position.
According to the above-described configuration, the gripping position of the lever can be maintained without providing a separate mechanism for maintaining the gripping position.

In one embodiment of the invention, the lever is held at one end of the hinge arm, the drive unit is provided at the other end of the hinge arm via the pivot shaft, and a bracket is provided to rotatably support the hinge arm via the pivot shaft, and the drive unit includes a motor, an output shaft to which the rotational force of the motor is transmitted, and a crank whose base end is fixed to the output shaft and whose free end abuts against the bracket and is slidable.

According to the above configuration, the more the lever protrudes, the greater the force with which the crank is pushed against the bracket. The force with which the crank is pushed against the bracket serves to protrude the lever, so the more the lever protrudes, the greater the reaction force of the biasing means. However, this reaction force and the pushing force are counterbalanced, making it possible to suppress an increase in the load on the motor.
Furthermore, in the gripping position, the crank is tensioned between the base end and the bracket, so that the gripping position can be maintained regardless of the output from the motor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the bracket is provided with a crank orientation changer that changes the orientation of the crank to the orientation of the lever storage position when the lever moves from the grip position to the release position.

According to the above configuration, when the lever returns from the release position to the storage position, the crank direction changing portion changes the direction of the crank to the direction of the lever storage position, so that no load is applied to the crank.
In detail, when the lever is released from the open position, the spring force of the coil spring which constantly urges the hinge arm in the anti-release direction causes the lever, hinge arm, etc. to return to their original positions (storage positions); however, by changing the crank to its initial position (storage position) using the crank orientation change unit described above, it is possible to avoid a collision between the crank and the bracket and prevent damage to the crank base.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the pivot shaft extends vertically, a drive unit is located in front of the pivot shaft, the crank has a protrusion extending from the crank toward the rear and widthwise of the vehicle when the lever is in the stored position, the bracket has a contact wall against which the free end of the crank abuts, and a vertical wall extending in the vehicle width direction behind the contact wall, and the crank orientation change portion is the vertical wall.
According to the above configuration, damage to the crank base can be suppressed with simple processing.

This invention has the effect of reducing the load on the drive mechanism even if the force in the storage direction increases as the lever protrudes.

1 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle door handle structure of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a main portion of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, showing a lever stored state. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a bracket with hinge arms. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the switch pressing position of the lever. 9A is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. 4, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG.

The objective of reducing the load on the drive unit even when the biasing force in the storage direction increases as the lever protrudes is achieved by a hinge arm having a lever at one end that can be retracted from a door panel and a pivot shaft that rotates the lever so that it protrudes from the door panel, and a drive unit that transmits power to the hinge arm so that the lever protrudes from the door panel, the lever being configured to be rotatable between a storage position where the lever is flush with the door panel, a grip position where the lever protrudes from the door panel by the drive unit and can be gripped by a user, and an open position where the lever protrudes further than the grip position, the lever being biased in the storage direction by a biasing means provided on the pivot shaft, and the drive unit being configured so that the force that protrudes the lever at the grip position is greater than the force that protrudes the lever at the initial protrusion position where the lever begins to protrude from the storage position.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The drawings show a door handle structure of a vehicle, with FIG. 1 being a side view of a vehicle equipped with the door handle structure, FIG. 2 being an enlarged side view of a main portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 being an inner side view showing the layout structure of the reinforcement.

In the figure, arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, arrow R indicates the rear of the vehicle, arrow UP indicates the top of the vehicle, and arrow OUT indicates the outward direction in the vehicle width direction.
In addition, the vehicle door handle structure of the present invention can also be applied to the front doors, rear doors, lift gates, etc. of a four-door vehicle, but in the following embodiment, a structure applied to a door handle of a two-door vehicle will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle is equipped with a hinge pillar 1 that extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle at the front of the passenger compartment, a side sill 2 that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at the bottom of the vehicle, a front pillar 3 that extends diagonally rearward and upward from the upper end of the hinge pillar 1, a roof side rail 4 that continues from the rear end of the front pillar 3 and extends rearward of the vehicle, and a rear pillar 5 that connects the roof side rail 4 and the side sill 2 in the approximately vertical direction.

A door opening 6 is formed surrounded by the above-mentioned hinge pillar 1, side sill 2, front pillar 3, roof side rail 4 and rear pillar 5.
The door opening 6 is configured to be opened and closed by a side door 8 that is openably and closably attached to the hinge pillar 1 via a pair of upper and lower door hinges 7, 7.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the side door 8 has a door main body 9 and a door window glass 10 as a door window member, and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the door main body 9 has a door outer panel 11, a door inner panel (not shown), and a reinforcement 12 provided on the inner side and rear side of the door outer panel 11 in the vehicle width direction.
In this embodiment, the door outer panel 11 and the reinforcement 12 constitute a door panel.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper rear side of the door outer panel 11, which serves as a door panel, is provided with an opening 13 (lever opening) that accommodates a lever 20 (described later), and a flange portion 14 formed by bending the edge of the opening 13 by burring the entire periphery.

As shown in FIG. 3, an upper opening 12a and a lower opening 12b are formed at the upper and lower parts of the reinforcement 12, respectively, and an opening 12c (bracket opening) for attaching a bracket 50 (described later) is formed between the upper and lower openings 12a and 12b.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1, showing the stored state of lever 20; Figure 5 is a plan view showing the drive unit; Figure 6 is a plan view showing the biasing structure using the biasing means; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a bracket equipped with a hinge arm; Figure 8 is a plan view showing the initial protruding position of the lever; and Figure 9 is a plan view showing the gripping position of the lever.

In addition, FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the release position of the lever, FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the switch pressed position of the lever, FIG. 12(a) is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 4, and FIG. 12(b) is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle door handle structure includes a lever 20 (more specifically, a door handle lever) that can be inserted and removed from an opening 13 in a door outer panel 11 serving as a door panel, a hinge arm 30 having a swan-neck structure that has the lever 20, and a drive unit 40 that transmits power to the hinge arm 30 so that the lever 20 protrudes from the door outer panel 11. It also includes a bracket 50 that houses the lever 20 and is fixed to a reinforcement 12 serving as a door panel.

As shown in FIG. 4, the above-mentioned lever 20 is formed by fitting and joining the peripheral portions of the outer cover 21 and the inner cover 22 together, and the opening 13 of the lever 20 and the door outer panel 11 is formed in an elliptical shape that is long in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hinge arm 30 has the lever 20 at one end (the rear end in this embodiment) and is equipped with a hinge pin 31 as a pivot shaft that rotates the lever 20 so that it protrudes from the door outer panel 11. This hinge pin 31 is fixed to the bracket 50 and is oriented in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the hinge arm 30 is integrally provided with a pivot part 32 that pivots the hinge pin 31, a lever support part that extends from the pivot part 32 to the rear of the vehicle via a swan-neck shaped neck part 33 and supports the lever 20, and an extension part 35 that extends from the pivot part 32 to the front of the vehicle on the opposite side to the neck part 33. The lever support part is disposed inside the lever 20, which is made up of the outer cover 21 and the inner cover 22.

As shown in FIG. 4, a motor base 41 for assembling a drive unit 40 is attached to the extension 35 of the hinge arm 30 .
4, a crank plate 60 is provided coaxially with the hinge pin 31. A vertical wall 61 is integrally formed on the rear side of the crank plate 60 and on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. When the lever 20 and the hinge arm 30 are rotated to the grip position (see FIG. 9), the vertical wall 61 comes into contact with and is locked by the neck portion 33 of the hinge arm 30.

Furthermore, a release wire 62 that releases a door latch (not shown) is fixed to the inner end of the crank plate 60 in the vehicle width direction. This crank plate 60 is constantly biased in the anti-release direction by a coil spring (not shown) with a large spring force.

6, a torsion spring 36 serving as a biasing means is wound around the hinge pin 31, and one end 36a of the torsion spring 36 is engaged with the crank plate 60, while the other end 36b of the torsion spring 36 is engaged with the extension 35 of the hinge arm 30. As a result, the torsion spring 36 constantly biases the lever 20 in the retracting direction.
The spring force of the torsion spring 36 is set to be smaller than that of a coil spring (not shown) that biases the crank plate 60 in the anti-release direction.

Next, the configuration of the drive device 40 that transmits power to the other end side (the extension portion 35 side) of the hinge arm 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
A motor 42 is attached to the motor base 41. An output gear G11 is fitted to a rotating shaft 43 of the motor 42. A driven gear G13 having a pinion gear G12 is provided on a shaft 44 provided on the motor base 41. A sector gear G14 is provided on an output shaft 47 provided on the motor base 41.

As shown in FIG. 5, the output gear G11 meshes with the driven gear G13. The pinion gear G12 meshes with the sector gear G14. As a result, when the motor 42 is driven to rotate its rotating shaft 43 and output gear G11 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5, the sector gear G14 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5 via the gears G11, G13, and G12 in that order.

The output shaft 47 is a shaft to which the rotational force of the motor 42 is transmitted via a gear train 46 made up of the elements G11 to G14. A base end of a crank 48 is fitted and fixed to the output shaft 47.
A roller 49 is rotatably provided on a shaft portion 48a provided at the free end of the crank 48 described above.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 50 described above is provided with an abutment wall 50A at a position corresponding to the crank 48 of the drive unit 40, which abuts against the roller 49 of the free end of the crank 48 to allow the free end of the crank to slide, and a vertical wall 50B as a crank orientation changer that changes the orientation of the crank 48 to the orientation of the lever storage position (see FIG. 4) when the lever 20 moves from the grip position (see FIG. 9) to the release position (see FIG. 10).

Here, the above-mentioned abutment wall 50A is a wall portion extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the above-mentioned vertical wall 50B is a wall portion extending in the vehicle width direction behind the abutment wall 50A, and both the abutment wall 50A and the vertical wall 50B are integrally formed with the above-mentioned bracket 50.

As shown in FIG. 5, near the base end of the crank 48, a protrusion 48b is integrally formed that extends from the crank 48 toward the rear and outward in the vehicle width direction when the lever 20 is in the storage position. As shown in FIG. 9, this protrusion 48b abuts against the vertical wall 50B when the lever 20 is in the gripping position.

When the drive unit 40 drives the motor 42, the motor torque is transmitted to the output shaft 47 via the gear train 46, causing the crank 48 to rotate in the clockwise direction in Figures 4 and 5. When the roller 49 at the free end of the crank 48 abuts against the abutment wall 50A of the bracket 50, the tension of the crank 48 causes the hinge arm 30 to rotate in the lever protruding direction via the motor base 41 and the extension 35.

The lever 20 is configured to be rotatable between a storage position (see FIG. 4) in which the outer cover 21 is flush with the door outer panel 11, a gripping position (see FIG. 9) in which the lever 20 protrudes from the door outer panel 11 by the drive unit 40 so that the lever 20 can be gripped by the user, and an open position (see FIG. 10) in which the lever protrudes further than the gripping position.

The lever 20 can be rotated by the drive unit 40 between the storage position shown in FIG. 4 and the grip position shown in FIG. 9. In addition, while the hinge arm 30 moves from the storage position shown in FIG. 4 to the grip position shown in FIG. 9, the crank plate 60 does not move and is biased in the anti-release direction by a coil spring (not shown) with a strong spring force.

In the gripped position shown in FIG. 9, the lever 20 protrudes outward from the door outer panel 11, allowing the user to grip the lever 20, and the user can release the lever 20 from the gripped position shown in FIG. 9 to the open position shown in FIG. 10.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the hinge arm 30 reaches the gripping position, the neck portion 33 of the hinge arm 30 abuts against the vertical wall 61 of the crank plate 60. When the lever 20 is rotated in the opening direction against the spring force of a coil spring (not shown), the crank plate 60 rotates in the release direction, releasing the door latch via the release wire 62.

When the lever 20 moves from the grip position shown in FIG. 9 to the release position shown in FIG. 10, the vertical wall 50B acting as the crank orientation changer with which the protrusion 48b of the crank 48 abuts changes the orientation of the crank 48 to the orientation of the lever storage position, and as shown in FIG. 10, the roller 49 at the free end of the crank 48 moves away from the abutment wall 50A of the bracket 50 inward in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bracket 50 has a storage space 52 for the lever 20 that communicates with the opening 13, and an insertion hole 53 for the hinge arm 30. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7 , the bracket 50 includes a front mounting portion 54 , an upper mounting portion 55 , a lower mounting portion 56 , and a rear mounting portion 57 .

As shown in Figures 7 and 3, the front mounting portion 54 of the bracket 50 is fastened to the front mounting seat 12d on the periphery of the opening 12c of the reinforcement 12. Similarly, the upper and lower mounting portions 55, 56 are fastened to the upper mounting seat 12e and the lower mounting seat 12f on the periphery of the opening 12c of the reinforcement 12, respectively.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a cut-and-raised portion 12g that extends outward in the vehicle width direction is integrally formed on the rear peripheral edge of the opening 12c of the reinforcement 12, and the rear mounting portion 57 of the bracket 50 shown in Figure 7 is fastened and fixed to the cut-and-raised portion 12g.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 11, a switch 70 is disposed on the rear end of the lever 20, more specifically, on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of the rear end side of the bracket 50 opposite the rear end of the inner cover 22.
When the switch 70 is pressed, it is turned on and energizes the motor 42 .

As shown in FIG. 4, a key cylinder 15 is disposed on the bracket 50 in the vicinity of the front side of the switch 70. As shown in FIG.
As shown in Figure 11, the lever 20 is pivotally mounted relative to the lever support portion of the hinge arm 30. Therefore, when the rear end portion of the lever 20 in the stored position is pressed from the outside, the rear end portion of the lever 20 pivots inward in the vehicle width direction as shown in Figure 11, and assumes a switch pressing position that turns on the switch 70.

In short, the device includes a hinge arm 30 having a lever 20 at one end that can be extended and retracted from the door outer panel 11 and a hinge pin 31 that rotates the lever 20 so that it protrudes from the door outer panel 11, and a drive unit 40 that transmits power to the hinge arm 30 so that the lever 20 protrudes from the door outer panel 11. The lever 20 is configured to be rotatable between a storage position (see FIG. 4) in which the lever 20 is flush with the door outer panel 11, a grip position (see FIG. 9) in which the lever 20 protrudes from the door outer panel 11 by the drive unit 40 and can be gripped by a user, and an open position (see FIG. 10) in which the lever 20 protrudes further than the grip position, and the lever 20 is biased in the storage direction by a torsion spring 36 provided on the hinge pin 31.

Moreover, the above-mentioned drive unit 40 is set so that the force (stretching force AF) that causes the lever 20 to protrude in the gripping position shown in FIG. 12(b) is greater than the force (stretching force AF) that causes the lever 20 to protrude in the initial protrusion position (see FIG. 8) where the lever 20 starts to protrude from the stored position shown in FIG. 12(a). Here, the initial protrusion position refers to the position where the rear part of the outer cover 21, which is part of the lever 20, protrudes from the door outer panel 11, as shown in FIG. 8.

In more detail, the line parallel to the abutment wall 50A of the bracket 50 is the reference line L1, the line connecting the center of the base end and the center of the free end of the crank 48 is the displacement line L2, and the angle formed by these lines L1 and L2 is the crank angle CA.

In the stored position shown in FIG. 12(a), the crank angle CA is approximately 38 degrees, in the initial extended position shown in FIG. 8, the crank angle CA is approximately 47 degrees, and in the gripped position shown in FIG. 12(b), the crank angle CA is approximately 68 degrees.

As the crank angle CA increases, the force with which the roller 49 of the crank 48 abuts against the abutment wall 50A and pushes the extension portion 35 of the hinge arm 30 in the lever protruding direction (counterclockwise direction in the figure) via the motor base 41, i.e., the tension force AF, gradually increases. As a result, the tension force AF at the gripping position in FIG. 12(b) is set to be greater than the tension force AF at the initial protruding position in FIG. 8.

More specifically, the motor 42 is driven from the stored state of the lever 20 shown in FIG. 12(a) to rotate the crank 48, thereby rotating the hinge arm 30 in the lever protruding direction via the initial protruding state shown in FIG. 8.

When the hinge arm 30 rotates in the lever protruding direction, the spring reaction force RF of the torsion spring 36 (see FIG. 12(a)) gradually increases.
Even if the torque generated by the motor 42, i.e., the force that rotates the crank 48, is constant, as the crank angle CA increases, the force that rotates the hinge arm 30 in the lever protruding direction, i.e., the tension force AF, increases, so that the hinge arm 30 can be protruded in the lever protruding direction by overcoming the above-mentioned spring reaction force RF.

In the gripping position shown in FIG. 12(b), when the crank angle CA approaches 90 degrees (68 degrees in this embodiment), the hinge arm 30 can be held in the gripping position by the tension force AF of the crank 48 even if there is no torque generated by the motor 42 (in other words, even if the power supply to the motor 42 is cut off).
That is, in the gripping position, the crank 48 is pressed against the abutment wall 50A, so that the gripping position can be maintained even if the power supply to the motor 42 is turned off.

If the crank angle CA is between 85 degrees and 90 degrees, the crank 48 will not be able to reverse (rotate counterclockwise as shown) if a load is applied to the lever 20 in the storage direction, so it is preferable that the crank angle CA be less than a maximum of 80 degrees.

The drive device 40 is equipped with a motor 42, and the drive device 40 maintains the gripping position without requiring the output of the motor 42. This allows the lever 20 to be configured to maintain the gripping position without the need for a separate mechanism for maintaining the gripping position.

Furthermore, the pivot shaft (hinge pin 31) extends vertically, the drive unit 40 is located in front of the pivot shaft (hinge pin 31), the crank 48 has a protrusion 48b extending from the crank 48 toward the rear of the vehicle and in the vehicle width direction when the lever 20 is in the stored position, the bracket 50 has a contact wall 50A against which the free end of the crank 48 abuts and a vertical wall 50B extending in the vehicle width direction behind the contact wall 50A, and the vertical wall 50B is the crank orientation changing portion. This configuration is intended to suppress damage to the base of the crank 48 with simple processing.

When the user operates the lever 20 from the gripping position shown in FIG. 9 to the open position (see FIG. 10), the crank 48 changes its orientation to the lever storage position as shown in FIG. 10 due to the relative positional relationship between the protrusion 48b of the crank 48 and the vertical wall 50B.

As described above in detail, the vehicle door handle structure of the above embodiment includes a lever 20 at one end that can be extended and retracted from a door panel (door outer panel 11), a hinge arm 30 having a pivot shaft (hinge pin 31) that rotates the lever 20 so that it protrudes from the door panel (door outer panel 11), and a drive unit 40 that transmits power to the hinge arm 30 so that the lever 20 protrudes from the door panel (door outer panel 11). The lever 20 can be moved to a storage position (see FIG. 4) in which the lever 20 is flush with the door panel (door outer panel 11), and a drive unit 40 that drives the lever 20 to move the lever 20 from the door panel (door outer panel 11). The lever 20 is configured to be rotatable between a gripping position (see FIG. 9) where the lever 20 protrudes from the door outer panel 11 and can be gripped by the user, and an open position (see FIG. 10) where the lever 20 protrudes further than the gripping position. The lever 20 is biased in the storage direction by a biasing means (torsion spring 36) provided on the pivot shaft (hinge pin 31). The drive unit 40 is set so that the force that causes the lever 20 to protrude in the gripping position is greater than the force that causes the lever 20 to protrude in the initial protrusion position (see FIG. 8) where the lever 20 begins to protrude from the storage position (see FIG. 4, FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, FIG. 12).

According to this configuration, the more the lever 20 protrudes, the greater the biasing force of the biasing means (torsion spring 36) that moves the lever 20 in the storage direction. However, since the force that causes the lever 20 to protrude in the grip position is greater than the force that causes the lever 20 to protrude in the initial extension position, the load on the drive unit 40 is reduced, and the drive unit 40 can be operated without applying a load.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, the drive device 40 is equipped with a motor 42, and the drive device 40 maintains the gripping position without requiring the output of the motor 42 when in the gripping position.
According to this configuration, the gripped position of the lever 20 can be maintained without providing a separate mechanism for maintaining the gripped position.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the lever 20 is held at one end of the hinge arm 30, and the drive unit 40 is provided at the other end of the hinge arm 30 via the pivot shaft (hinge pin 31). A bracket 50 is provided to rotatably support the hinge arm 30 via the pivot shaft (hinge pin 31). The drive unit 40 includes a motor 42, an output shaft 47 to which the rotational force of the motor 42 is transmitted, and a crank 48 whose base end is fixed to the output shaft 47 and whose free end is slidable in contact with the bracket 50 (see Figures 5 and 12).

According to this configuration, the more the lever 20 protrudes, the greater the force with which the crank 48 is tensioned between the bracket 50 and the lever 20. The force with which the crank 48 is tensioned between the bracket 50 and the lever 20 protrudes, and so the more the lever 20 protrudes, the greater the reaction force of the biasing means (torsion spring 36); however, this reaction force and the tension force are counterbalanced, making it possible to suppress an increase in the load on the motor 42.
Furthermore, in the gripping position, the crank 48 is tensioned between the base end and the bracket 50, so that the gripping position can be maintained regardless of the output from the motor 42.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the bracket 50 is provided with a crank orientation change portion (vertical wall 50B) that changes the orientation of the crank 48 to the orientation of the lever storage position when the lever 20 moves from the grip position (see FIG. 9) to the release position (see FIG. 10) (see FIGS. 7 and 10).

With this configuration, when the lever 20 returns from the open position (see FIG. 10) to the stored position (see FIG. 4), the crank orientation change section (vertical wall 50B) changes the orientation of the crank 48 to the orientation of the lever stored position, so no load is applied to the crank 48.

In more detail, when the lever 20 is released from the open position, the spring force of the coil spring that constantly urges the hinge arm 30 in the anti-release direction causes the lever 20, hinge arm 30, etc. to return to their original positions (storage positions); however, by changing the crank 48 to its initial position (storage position) using the crank orientation change section (vertical wall 50B) described above, it is possible to avoid a collision between the crank 48 and the bracket 50 and prevent damage to the crank base.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the pivot shaft (hinge pin 31) extends vertically, the drive unit 40 is located in front of the pivot shaft (hinge pin 31), the crank 48 has a protrusion 48b extending from the crank 48 toward the rear of the vehicle and in the vehicle width direction when the lever 20 is in the stored position, the bracket 50 has an abutment wall 50A against which the free end of the crank 48 abuts, and a vertical wall 50B extending in the vehicle width direction behind the abutment wall 50A, and the crank orientation changing portion is the vertical wall 50B.
According to this configuration, damage to the base of the crank 48 can be suppressed with simple processing.

In the configuration of the present invention and the above-mentioned embodiment,
The door panel of the present invention corresponds to the door outer panel 11 of the embodiment.
Similarly,
The pivot axis corresponds to the hinge pin 31.
The biasing means corresponds to a torsion spring 36;
The crank direction changing portion corresponds to the vertical wall 50B of the bracket 50.
The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments.

For example, in the above embodiment, the vehicle door handle structure is exemplified as being applied to the door handle of a two-door vehicle, but this may also be applied to the door handles of the front doors, rear doors, or lift gate of a four-door vehicle.

As described above, the present invention is useful for vehicle door handle structures in which the door handle lever is flush with the door outer panel when the door handle lever is stored.

11...Door outer panel (door panel)
20... Lever 30... Hinge arm 31... Hinge pin (rotation support shaft)
36...Torsion spring (urging means)
40... Drive device 42... Motor 47... Output shaft 48... Crank 50... Bracket 50A... Contact wall 50B... Vertical wall (crank direction change portion)

Claims (5)

It has a lever at one end that can be extended or retracted from the door panel,
a hinge arm having a pivot shaft for pivoting the lever so as to protrude from the door panel;
a drive device that transmits power to the hinge arm so that the lever protrudes from the door panel;
The lever above is
a storage position in which the lever is flush with the door panel;
a gripping position where the lever is protruded from the door panel by the driving device and can be gripped by a user;
and an open position in which the lever projects further than the grip position,
The lever is biased in a storage direction by a biasing means provided on the pivot shaft,
A vehicle door handle structure, characterized in that the drive device is set so that the force that causes the lever to protrude at the gripping position is greater than the force that causes the lever to protrude at an initial protrusion position where the lever begins to protrude from the stored position. The drive device includes a motor, and the drive device maintains the gripping position without requiring output from the motor when in the gripping position.
2. The vehicle door handle structure according to claim 1 . a bracket is provided to hold the lever at one end of the hinge arm, and the drive device is provided at the other end of the hinge arm via the pivot shaft, and the bracket rotatably supports the hinge arm via the pivot shaft;
2. The vehicle door handle structure as described in claim 1, wherein the drive device comprises a motor, an output shaft to which the rotational force of the motor is transmitted, and a crank having a base end fixed to the output shaft and a free end abutting against the bracket and slidable thereon. 4. The vehicle door handle structure according to claim 3, wherein the bracket is provided with a crank direction changing portion that changes the direction of the crank to the direction of the lever storage position when the lever moves from the grip position to the release position. 5. The vehicle door handle structure according to claim 4, wherein the pivot shaft extends vertically, a drive unit is located in front of the pivot shaft, the crank has a protrusion extending from the crank toward the rear of the vehicle and in the vehicle width direction when the lever is in the storage position, the bracket has a contact wall against which the free end of the crank abuts, and a vertical wall extending in the vehicle width direction behind the contact wall, and the crank orientation changing portion is the vertical wall.

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