Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
CA 02395334 2002-06-28
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VEHICLE DOOR LATCH
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to vehicle door latches and more specifically
to the actuation and locking mechanisms associated with such latches.
Background of the Invention
Most vehicle door latches currently in production share certain basic
operational principals. The operating mechanism is generally mounted to a
housing,
which in turn is arranged for mounting in the vehicle door. The housing
includes a
slot for registering with and receivina a wire or rod keeper of a striker
mounted to the
vehicle adjacent the perimeter of the door. A ratchet is provided to engage
and release
the striker in respective rest and release positions. The ratchet is held in
the rest
position by a pawl. The pawl is moveable out of engagement with the ratchet to
release the ratchet and in turn allow the striker to be withdrawn from the
slot.
Movement of the pawl is generally effected by at least one release lever.
Often there
are separate release levers associated with an inside door handle of the
vehicle and an
outside door handle of the vehicle.
At least the outside release lever may be connected to the pawl by a locking
mechanism which in turn is actuated by a locking mechanism. In such
arrangements.
the vehicle door lock will engage or disengage the locking mechanism wherebv
movement of the release lever will not be translated into movement of the
pawl.
In current latch arrangements, the ratchet, pawl, locking mechanism and lock
actuator lie in parallel planes or orthoQonal planes and movement is about
generally
parallel pivoting axi. The prior art arrangement as described in United States
Patent
no. 6,102,453, presents some challenges where power operated locking
mechanisms
are utilized because it may leave little room for placement of the power
actuator.
Additionally, the design of the prior art latches prevent the latches from
being
easily modified to accommodate different applications. Each latch application
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requires a complete set of tools to manufacture the different latches for each
application.
Summary of the Invention
It is desirable to provide a vehicle door latch in which a lock lever has two
degrees of freedom such that movement in a first plane effects latching and
unlatching
and movement out the first plane effects locking and unlocking of the latch.
It is desirable to provide a vehicle door latch in which the basic latch
design
can be modified to accommodate different latch applications, including front
and rear
doors, sliding doors and liftgates.
The disadvantages of the prior art may be overcome by providing a vehicle
door latch that has a housing having a mouth for receiving a striker. A
ratchet is
pivotally mounted to the housing for rotation between latched and unlatched
conditions. The ratchet cooperates with the mouth to selectively retain a
striker. A
pawl is mounted to the housing for releasably engaging the ratchet. The pawl
is
moveable relative to the ratchet between a rest position engaging the ratchet
to block
movement of the ratchet toward the unlatched condition and a released position
disengaging the ratchet to allow movement of the ratchet toward the unlatched
condition. A release lever is mounted to the housing and operably connected to
the
pawl by a clutch member extending therebetween. The clutch lever is moveable
between an engaged position operably connecting the release lever to the pawl
effecting movement of the pawl toward the released condition and a disengaged
position operably disconnecting the release lever from the pawl. A locking
lever is
mounted to the housing for moving the clutch lever between the engaged and
disengaged positions. The clutch lever moves in a first plane to effect
movement of
the pawl and the locking lever moves the clutch lever out the first plane to
effect
movement between the engaged and said disengaged positions.
According to another aspect of the invention, the clutch lever is mountable at
a
first and second location. When the clutch lever is mounted at the first
location, the
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clutch lever moves in a first plane to effect movement of the pawl and the
locking
lever moves the clutch lever out the first plane to effect movement between
the
engaged and the disengaged positions. When the clutch lever is mounted at the
second
location, the clutch lever moves in a second plane.
Description of Drawings
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the present invention,
Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a door latch according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the door latch of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the door latch of Figure 1 taken from a side
opposite from Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a perspective partial cut-away view of a door latch of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a perspective partial cut-away view of a door latch of Figure 1;
Figure 6 is a perspective partial cut-away view of a door latch of Figure 1;
Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of a door latch of Figure 1 with a key
arrangement;
Figure 8 is a partial perspective view of a door latch of Figure 7; and
Figure 9 is a top plan view of latch according to the present invention with
an
alternative outside release lever location.
Description of Preferred Embodiments
A latch according to the present invention is generally illustrated bv
reference
10 in the accompanying drawings. Referring in particular to Figures 1 to 3,
the latch
10 includes a housing 2 having a mouth 4 for receiving a striker, as is well
know in
the art. The striker cooperates with the mouth 4 to selectively latch and
unlatch.
The housing 2 has a face plate 12 stamped from sheet metal. One side of the
face plate 12 has a flange 14 which extends generally perpendicular thereto
and
surrounds the mouth 4. The opposite side of the face plate 12 has a flange 16
defining
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/
a spacer for mounting cover plate 18. Cover plate 18 has a support flange 20
extending generally perpendicular to the face plate 12. Cover plate 18 is
stamped
from sheet metal and has a series of apertures stamped or formed therein as
will be
discussed below.
Outside release lever 22 is rotatably mounted on support flange 20 by pin 23.
Outside release lever 22 is an L-shaped lever. The "toe" or shorter end
extends below
the cover plate 18 to a first depth or plane 19. The distal or "leg" end of
the lever 22
has an aperture 26 for receiving a Bowden wire 21. The end of the outer casing
25 of
the Bowden wire mounts on tab 28 of the support flange 20. [A rivet 24
provides an
abutment limiting travel of the release lever 22 in a rest condition.]
Actuation of
the Bowden cable will cause longitudinal displacement of the toe of the lever
22 in a
first plane 19.
Inside release lever 28 is rotatably mounted on support flange 20 by pin 29.
Spring 30 extends between the inside release lever 28 and the support flange
20 to
bias the inside release lever 28 to the rest position. The distal end of the
inside release
lever 28 has an aperture 32 for receiving an end of Bowden wire 34. The outer
casing
35 of the Bowden wire 34 mounts on tab 36 of the support flange 20. Inside
release
lever 28 is T-shaped having a first end 38 extending below the cover plate 18
to the
first depth or plane 19. The opposite end 40 has a cam surface 42.
Inside lock lever 44 is rotatably mounted on support flange 20. Inside lock
lever 44 is V-shape pivotally connected to the support flange 20 at the apex
of the V.
The legs of the V define a U-shaped notch 46 and one of the legs has an
aperture 48.
A Bowden wire 49 connects with the aperture 48 and the outer casing 51 of the
Bowden wire connects to the tab 36.
Support flange 20 has a key cylinder mount 50 for receiving a key cylinder, as
is well known in the art.
As illustrated in Figure 4, ratchet 56 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 58 for
rotation about a ratchet axis 60. The ratchet is U-shaped and is pivotally
movable
between a latched and an unlatched condition. In the latched condition, the
ratchet 56
cooperates with the mouth 4 for capturing a striker. Ratchet 56 is biased to
the
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unlatched condition. Ratchet 56 has two abutment surfaces corresponding to the
fully
latched condition and a partially latched confirguration. Ratchet 56 is
mounted for
rotation on a third plane 57 extending parallel to the first plane 19. The
third plane is
closest to the face plate 12.
A pawl 62 is mounted to the housing for releasably engaging the ratchet 56 on
pin 64. The pawl 62 is movable relative to the ratchet between a rest position
where it
engages the ratchet 56 to block rotational movement of the ratchet 56 toward
the
unlatched condition and a release position in which it disengages the ratchet
56 to
allow movement thereof toward its unlatched condition. Pawl 62 is biased to
engage
the ratchet.
Pawl 62 has two arms 66 and 68. Arm 68 extends longitudinally of the face
plate 12 in a second plane 67 intermediate the first 19 and third plane 57.
Arm 66
extends generally laterally in the first, second and third planes, having an
arm 67
which extends only in the first plane.
Coaxially mounted on pin 64 is inside connecting lever 70. Lever 70 rotates
in the first plane. Lever 70 is L-shaped. The toe 72 is positioned to engage
the toe of
inside release lever 28. Rotation of lever 28 responsively effects rotation of
inside
connecting lever 70. Lever 70 has a U-shaped "leg" end 74.
Child lock switch 76 is pivotally mounted to the face plate 12. Switch 76
pivots between a child lock condition and an engaged condition. Switch 76 has
a
flange 78 having a tab 80 that extends between the first and second planes.
When the
switch 76 is in the child lock condition, tab 80 is rotated to be out of the U-
shaped end
74, uncoupling the lever 70 from the pawl arm 68. When the switch 76 is
rotated to
the engaged condition, tab 80 is positioned in the bight of the U-shaped end
74 to
interengage between and couple the lever 70 with the pawl arm 68, enabling the
release lever 28 to rotate the pawl 62 and release the ratchet [62166.
Optionally, switch 76 is molded with an integral ring spring formation 82 to
bias the switch 76 to either the child lock condition or the engaged
condition.
Referring to Figure 5, the outside release arm 22 is illustrated. An outside
connecting lever 84 is pivotally mounted to the molded core 86 of the housing.
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Connecting lever 84 has diametrically opposed arms 88 and 90 and is centrally
pivoted. Arm 88 extends in the first plane to engage the release lever 22. Arm
90
extends in the second plane. The distal end of the arm 90 has a keyhole shaped
pin 92
extending into the first plane. Mounted on pin 92 is an elongate clutch arm
94.
Clutch arm 94 has a distal end 96 which engages arm 67 of the pawl 62. Clutch
arm
94 is constrained by core 86 to reciprocate in a longitudinal direction in the
first plane.
However, clutch arm 94 also pivots to allow the distal end 96 to move out of
the first
plane towards the second plane. Spring 98 extends from the core 86 to the
clutch arm
94 to bias the clutch arm to move in the first plane. When the clutch arm 94
is
constrained to travel in the first plane 19, clutch arm 94 couples the outside
release
lever with the pawl 62 to effect unlatching. As will be discussed below, when
the
distal end 96 of clutch arm 94 is pivoted out of the first plane 19, the
clutch arm 94
will not engage the arm 67 of the pawl, uncoupling or locking the latch 10.
When the
clutch arm 94 is deflected out of the first plane, outside release lever 22
will not effect
unlatching of the latch 10.
Optionally, clutch arm 94 may be provided with a slot which receives a pin
constraining the movement thereof to the longitudinal and inter-plane
movement.
Referring now to Figure 6, the locking lever 100 is illustrated. Locking lever
100 has a hollow body 102 having arms 104, 106, 108 and 110 extending
therefrom.
Arm 104 is J-shaped and positioned at one end of the body 102. The toe of the
J-
shape has an unlocked positioned at the first plane 19 and an locked position
extending towards second plane 67. Arm 104 is aligned to engage clutch arm 94.
Thus, movement of the arm 104 effects movement of the clutch arm 94 to deflect
the
distal end of the clutch arm 94 out of the first plane 19.
Arm 106 extends towards the face plate 12 at approximately the mid-point of
the hollow body 102.
Arm 108 extends away from the first plane 19 at approximate 90 relative to
arm 104. Arm 108 has tab 112 extending generally axially with hollow body 102.
Arm 108 is also provided with an aperture 114 at the distal end. On a face
opposite
tab 112 is pin 116. Pin 116 is positioned to engage with inside lock lever 44
(Fig. 3)
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and fitted within U-shaped notch 46. [Not marked on drawing] Spring 117 is
fitted
between the support flange 20 and the arm 108. Spring 117 biases locking lever
100
to either the locked or unlocked positions. Movement effected by Bowden cable
49
will effect a pivoting movement of the inside locking lever 44, which will
responsively effect movement of the locking lever 100 between the locked and
unlocked positions.
Arm 110 is hook shaped and is connected to arm 108 offset from the axis of
rotation of the hollow body 102. The distal end of arm 110 has a U-shaped
notch 116.
The U-shaped notch is positioned to generally align with the key cylinder
mount 50.
Referring back to Figure 2, locking lever 100 is pivotally mounted on the
cover plate 18 on shaft 118 to define an axis of rotation generally parallel
to the first
plane 19. Locking lever 100 is able to pivot between an unlocked position and
a
locked position. In the locked position, arm 104 will extend through cover
plate 18 to
deflect clutch arm 94 out of first plane 19, disabling or uncoupling the
outside release
lever 22.
An actuator 120 is mounted on support flange 20. The output shaft 122 is
connected to tab 112 of the locking lever 100. Actuator 120 is energized to
move
between and extended position and a retracted position. In the extended
position,
output shaft 122 will rotate locking lever 100 to the unlocked position. In
the
retracted position, output shaft 122 will rotate locking lever to the unlocked
position.
[Add reference to solenoid]
Referring back to Figure 1, inside release lever 28 is rotatable between a
rest
position and a release position. As the inside release lever 28 is rotated
from the rest
position to the release, tab 40 will engage the base of arm 110, if the
locking lever 100
is in the locked position. Further rotation of the inside release lever 28,
the base of
arm 110 will travel along cam surface 42 to the locking lever 100 to rotate
from the
locked condition to the unlocked condition. Additionally, rotation of the
inside
release lever 28 will effect release of the latch 10, if the child lock
feature 76 is
engaged.
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Referring now to Figures 7 and 8, the key locking feature is illustrated. A
conventional key cylinder (not illustrated) is mounted to the key cylinder
mount 50.
A disc 52 is rotatably mounted in an aperture of the mount 50. A pin 54
extends from
the disc 52 to engage with arm 110. A double crescent cam surface 53 is
provided to
cooperate with a key cylinder interface 55. Rotation of the key cylinder
interface 55
in a first sense will effect rotation of arm 110 from the locked condition to
the
unlocked condition and rotation in an opposite sense will effect rotation from
the
unlocked to the locked condition. The cam surface 53 of the disc 52 provides
an
amount of free or lost motion of the disc 52 relative to the interface 55.
This
arrangement enables the arm 110 to move in response to the releasing movement
of
the inside locking lever 28 without responsively moving the key interface 55.
Referring now to Figure 9, an alternate location for mounting the outside
release lever is illustrated. The outside release lever 122 is pivotally
mounted on the
face plate 12 at pin 129. Spring 130 extends between release lever 122 and
clutch arm
194 to bias both into a rest position. Clutch arm 194 is pivotally mounted
outside
release lever 122 at pin 132. Clutch arm 194 has an abutment 134 which will
engage
pawl 162 to effect releasing of the latch 10. Rotation of locking lever 100
between
the locked condition and the unlocked condition moves arm 106. Arm 106 will
effect
movement of clutch arm 194. When in the locked condition, arm 106 will deflect
the
clutch arm 194 so that the arm 194 does not contact the pawl 162. When in an
unlocked condition, the arm 106 will not deflect clutch arm 194, enablinQ
engagement
of the arm 194 with the pawl 162 to effect unlatching.
Additionally, pawl 162 has a tab 164 which can engage directly with inside
release lever 28 and replace the child lock switch 76.
It is now apparent to those skilled in the art that the vehicle latch of the
present
inven.tion is easily modified for use in the different applications, namely,
front and
rear doors, sliding doors, liftgates, and can have numerous features
incorporated
therein or not. The latch of the present invention can be incorporated with
many
features, including a key cylinder, a child lock feature, and automatic
unlocking on
activating the inside release lever. The variations can be manufactured using
common
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components thereby reducing part count and the tooling required to manufacture
the
components.
[check ref. 1161
The above description is intended in an illustrative rather than a restrictive
sense. Variations from the exact description may be apparent to those skilled
in such
devices without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the
claims set
out below.
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