Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Door or window with specified vehicle feature
Reexamination Certificate
2003-03-13
2004-10-19
Coletta, Lori L (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Door or window with specified vehicle feature
C296S146800, C296S050000, C049S503000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06805398
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure of a tail gate which covers a rear portion of a vehicle body so as to freely open and close the rear portion of the vehicle body.
2. Description of the Background Art
As is well known, an opening and closing body provided at a rear end of a vehicle such as an automobile or the like, so-called lift gate, tail gate, rear gate, backdoor or the like (hereinafter, these opening and closing bodies are generally called as a “tail gate”), which covers an opening of a rear end portion of a vehicle body so as to freely open and close the opening in a vertical direction is normally formed by combining an inner plate member (an inner panel) and an outer plate member (an outer panel), forming a space portion (a panel space portion) between both elements and bonding peripheral edge portions and their vicinities of both of the panels to each other. In this case, an inner side of the inner panel facing to an interior side of a passenger room is generally covered by a cover (an interior trim) which is, for example, formed by a synthetic resin.
In such a tail gate, as a locking and unlocking mechanism of the tail gate, there is normally arranged a lock mechanism provided with a latch capable of engaging with a striker fixed to a vehicle body. The lock mechanism generally includes a so-called mechanical type lock mechanism which is provided with a latch assembly, a key cylinder assembly and a handle assembly as basic constituting elements. The latch assembly has a latch capable of engaging with a striker fixed to the vehicle body. The key cylinder assembly is to switch lock and unlock states of the latch assembly from an external side on the basis of a key operation. And the handle assembly is to switch engagement and disengagement states of the latch with respect to the striker from the external side on the basis of a handle operation.
In this locking and unlocking mechanism, the key cylinder assembly and the handle assembly are connected to the latch assembly via a key cylinder rod and a handle rod respectively.
In mounting such a locking and unlocking mechanism to the tail gate, conventionally, it is common to all of a basic constituting element such as each assembly above mentioned and each connecting rod are arranged within a panel space formed between the inner panel and the outer panel. That is, the above-mentioned each constituting element is covered with only one panel (the outer panel) with respect to the outer side thereof.
However, in this conventional construction, even when the tail gate is closed and the latch assembly is locked, it is relatively easy to unlock the key cylinder rod illegally by bursting through the only one panel (the outer panel) so as to pierce a hole from the outer side of the vehicle, for example, by using a pointed hard rod-like body or the like. That is, there is a problem that the lock can be illegally celled for a relatively short time.
Further, recently, the thickness of steel panels forming the vehicle body is determined to be thinner as possible to reduce the weight of the vehicle body that is requested from a view point of saving fuel cost. In the case of the outer panel of the tail gate, its thickness is set to be very thin, for example 0.7 mm. Thereby, the outer panel is pierced more easily from the outer side of the vehicle. Furthermore, a tail gate of which both of inner and outer panel are made of synthetic resin is getting to be employed in practical use.
Furthermore, recently, a so-called keyless entry system, passive keyless entry system or the like are know and are already employed in practical use. They directly drives a latch driving actuator of the latch assembly in accordance with a remote control utilizing mainly a wireless communication means or the like so as to switch the lock and unlock states of the latch assembly.
These systems using remote control do not require key itself, therefore, key cylinder and key cylinder rod are not provided. Even in such a system, it is possible to unlock illegally the latch assembly, by bursting through the outer panel so as to pierce a hole and operating directly the latch assembly from the outer side of the vehicle.
Against such an illegal unlocking, it may be considered to cover the outside of the latch assembly by a separate cover member. However, in this case, there arise some problems such that number of parts is increased, a complex assembly process is required in order to mount the cover member and inner structure of the tail gate become to be complicated.
In the vehicle in which a rear portion of the vehicle body is covered so as to freely open and close by the tail gate as mentioned above, a license plate (a so-called number plate) of the vehicle is often mounted to the tail gate. Accordingly, in this case, a lamp (a so-called license lamp) for lighting up the number plate in the night or the like is also mounted to the tail gate.
In the case that the license plate is mounted to the tail gate, it is general that an opening portion is provided at least in the outer panel of the tail gate, and a license lamp unit is mounted to the opening portion. In this case, the license lamp must be detachably mounted for a maintenance such as a replacement of the lamp or the like. That is, the license lamp unit is detachably mounted to the opening portion, for example, by using screw members or the like.
Accordingly, the key cylinder rod in an inner portion of the tail gate can be easily operated from the outer side of the vehicle through the opening portion, for example, by detaching the screw members or the like so as to detach the license lamp unit. That is, even in a state in which the tail gate is dosed and the latch assembly is locked, the key cylinder rod is easily unlocked illegally from outer side of the vehicle through the opening portion by detaching the license lamp unit from the opening portion. As a result, the lock of the latch assembly can be easily and illegally cancelled for a short time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is made to resolve the above-mentioned technical problems. A first basic object of the present invention is to make it harder to carry out an illegal locking and unlocking operation with respect to a tail gate, with a relatively simple constitution and without increasing number of parts. And a second basic object of the present invention is to prevent a key cylinder rod from being operated from outer side of the vehicle through an opening portion for mounting a license lamp unit to a tail gate even when it is detached from the opening portion.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a structure of a tail gate formed by bonding peripheral edge portions and their vicinities of an inner panel and an outer panel to each other, and covering a rear portion of a vehicle body so as to freely open and dose, wherein a cover is arranged in an inner side of said inner panel, and wherein a lock apparatus provided with a latch capable of engaging with a striker fixed to a vehicle body is disposed between said inner panel and said cover.
According to the structure mentioned above, the lock apparatus having the latch capable of engaging with the striker fixed to the vehicle body is arranged between the inner panel and the cover body. That is, the lock apparatus is covered by two panel members (the inner and outer panel members) in an outer side thereof. As a result, even in the case of bursting through the outer panel from the external side of the vehicle, for example, by a pointed hard rod-like body or the like in a state in which the tail gate is dosed and the lock apparatus is locked, the lock member can not be unlocked until further bursting through the inner panel so as to pierce a hole. That is, in comparison with the conventional structure in which the outer side of the lock apparatus is covered by only one outer panel, it is hard to illegally unlock and it is possible to effectively prevent a theft damage.
In this case, it is possible to m
Harima Issei
Ikemizu Naoyuki
Kawamoto Chikashi
Sato Kimito
Yamaguchi Koichiro
Coletta Lori L
GP Daikyo Corporation
Merchant & Gould P.C.
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