GB2396656A

GB2396656A - Vehicle door latch with open switch and lock blocking

Info

Publication number: GB2396656A
Application number: GB0325377A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Fumio Kobayashi
Original assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ohi Seisakusho Co Ltd
Priority date: 2002-11-07
Filing date: 2003-10-30
Publication date: 2004-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2023-10-30
Also published as: GB2396656B; GB0325377D0; JP4163490B2; DE10351424B4; JP2004156330A; DE10351424A1

Abstract

A detecting lever 10 is synchronously pivotal with a latch plate 7 of an automotive door latch device. The detecting lever 10 comprises a detecting projection 10e contactable with a detecting switch 39, to actuate the same; and a stopper portion 10c which stops changing of a condition of a locking/unlocking means 13 from an unlocking condition to a locking condition by engaging with the locking/unlocking means when, with the locking/unlocking means assuming the unlocking condition, the latch plate is disengaged from a striker 6, and permits the changing of the condition of the locking/unlocking means from the locking condition to the unlocking condition by disengaging from the locking/unlocking means when, with the locking/unlocking means assuming the locking condition, the latch plate is engaged with the striker. It can be arranged that successive pulls on an inside door handle first unlock then unlatch the device. Means to selectively disengage an inside lock knob from action on the unlocking means can be provided.

Description

1 2396656

AUTOMOTIVE DOOR LATCH DEVICE

s The present invention relates in general to automotive door latch devices and more particularly to the automotive door latch devices of a type which can sense an open/close condition of the door and prevent the driver from leaving an ignition key in an ignition cylinder slot when he or she leaves the vehicle.

In order to clarify the task of the present invention, automotive door latch devices shown in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application (Tokkai) 2001-241247 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Application (Tokkalhei) 10317751 will be briefly described Is in the following.

The door latch device shown in the application 2001 241247 has a door open/close condition detecting means which senses an open/close condition of a vehicle door. In this detecting means, a detecting member movable with a latch plate to is used. That is, by detecting an angular position of the detecting member by a detecting switch mounted on a body, an angular position of the latch plate, that is, the open/close condition of the door is sensed.

The door latch device shown in the publication 10-317751 Is has a key left prevention means which warns the driver not to leave an ignition key in an ignition cylinder slot when he or she leaves the vehicle. In this key left preventing means, a block lever engageable with a locking lever is used. That is, when a latch plate is turned upon opening of the door, the block lever is so brought into engagement with the locking lever to prevent the locking lever from turning toward a locking position. With this, a careless door lock with the key left in the vehicle cabin can be prevented.

i The present invention is provided by taking the above-mentioned 5 related technique of the published applications into consideration.

That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automotive door latch device which has both a door open/close condition detecting means and a key left preventing means in a common place.

to According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automotive door latch device which comprises a latch plate which is pivotal and engageable with a striker; a detecting lever which is synchronously pivotal with the latch plate; a detecting switch which detects an angular position of the latch 15 plate by checking the angular position of the detecting lever; and a locking/unlocking means linked to a locking/unlocking knob mounted on an inside wall of the door, the locking/unlocking means being capable of changing its condition between an unlocking condition wherein a door opening operation of inside 20 and outside handles of the door is operative and a locking condition wherein the door opening operation of the inside and outside handles of the door is inoperative, wherein the detecting lever includes a detecting projection contactable with the detecting switch to actuate the same; and a stopper portion 25 which stops changing of the condition of the locking/unlocking means from the unlocking condition to the locking condition by engaging with the locking/unlocking means when, with the locking/unlocking means assuming the unlocking condition, the latch plate is disengaged from the striker, and permits the so changing of the condition of the locking/unlocking means from the locking condition to the unlocking condition by disengaging from the locking/unlocking means when, with the locking/unlocking means assuming the locking condition, the

! latch plate is engaged with the striker.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automotive door latch device which comprises a latch plate which is pivotal and engageable with a 5 striker; a detecting lever which is synchronously pivotal with the latch plate; a detecting switch which detects an angular position of the latch plate by checking the angular position of the detecting lever; and a locking/unlocking lever which is pivotal and linked to a locking/unlocking knob mounted on an inside wall of to the door, the locking/unlocking lever being pivotal between an unlocking position where a door opening operation of inside and outside handles of the door is operative and a locking position where the door opening operation of the inside and outside-

handles of the door is inoperative, wherein the locking/unlocking 15 lever is pivotally connected to a base member to which the detecting lever is pivotally connected; and wherein the detecting lever includes a detecting projection which is made flexible and contactable with the detecting switch to actuate the same; and a stopper portion which stops the pivoting of the locking/unlocking to lever from the unlocking position to the locking position by engaging with an engaging notch of the locking/unlocking lever when, with the locking/unlocking lever assuming the unlocking position, the latch plate is disengaged from the striker, and permits the pivoting of the locking/unlocking lever from the 25 locking position to the unlocking position by disengaging from the engaging notch of the locking/unlocking lever when, with the locking/unlocking lever assuming the locking position, the latch plate is engaged with the striker.

so Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in

conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a door latch device of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side view of the door latch device of the invention, which view is taken from a direction of the arrow "II" 5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the door latch device of the invention, showing a latch unit and an actuator unit which are kept separated; Fig. 4 is an interior view of the latch unit with a latch plate to assuming an open position, which view is taken from a direction of the arrow "IV" of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a condition wherein the latch plate assumes a close position; Fig. 6 is a side view of the latch unit, which view is taken Is from a direction of the arrow "II" of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but showing a condition wherein a double action control is being carried out; Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7; To Fig. 9 is an enlarged side view of an essential portion of the latch unit, which view is taken from a direction of the arrow "II" of Fig. 1; Fig. 10 is a side view of a position detecting lever; Fig. 11 is a view taken from a direction of the arrow "XI" of Is Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is an interior view of the actuator unit; Fig. 13 is a back view of a cover for the actuator unit; Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV of Fig. 13; so Fig. 15 is a front view of an essential portion of the actuator unit; and

Fig. 16 is an enlarged front view of the essential portion of the actuator unit under a condition wherein the double action control is being carried out.

5 In the following, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For ease of understanding, various directional terms such as right, left, upper, lower, rightward,and the like are used in the description. However, such terms are to be understood with

to respect to only drawing or drawings on which the corresponding part of portion is shown.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 to 3, there is shown an automotive door latch device 1 according to the present invention.

15 The door latch device 1 shown in the drawings is designed for a left door (not shown) of an associated motor vehicle, more specifically, for the left door which has a front end hinged to a left side wall of the vehicle. More specifically, the door latch device 1 shown is to be mounted on a rear free end of the left door.

to The door latch device 1 generally comprises a latch unit 2 which is mounted to the rear end portion of the left door through bolts (not shown) and an actuator unit 3 which is fixed to the latch unit 2 in an aftermentioned manner.

As is seen from Fig. 4, the latch unit 2 comprises a plastics 25 body 4 formed with a recess 4c. Within the recess 4c, there is installed a latch plate 7 which has a pivot shaft 5 rotatably connected to the body 4. Thus, the latch plate 7 and the pivot shaft 5 are turned together like a single member.

As is seen from Figs. 4 and 5, when, due to closing so movement of the left door, a striker 6 fixed to the vehicle body side is led into a slot S defined by the body 4, the latch plate 7 is turned clockwise and operatively engaged with the striker 6 as shown in Fig. 5.

As is seen from Figs. 4 and 5, near the pivot shaft 5 of the latch plate 7, there is rotatably provided another pivot shaft 8 to which a locking plate 9 is secured. Thus, the locking plate 9 and the pivot shaft 8 are turned together like a single member. The 5 locking plate 9 is detachably engageable with pawl portions 7a and 7b possessed by the latch plate 7.

That is, the latch plate 7 is pivotal between an open position as shown in Fig. 4 wherein the striker 6 is released from the latch plate 7 and a close position as shown in Fig. 5 wherein to the striker 6 is engaged with the latch plate 7.

The locking plate 9 is pivotal between an engaging position wherein the locking plate 9 is engaged with the pawl portion 7b or 7a of the latch plate 7 to block an open pivoting (viz., pivoting in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 5) of the 15 latch plate 7 and a canceling position wherein the locking plate 9 is disengaged from the pawl portion 7b or 7a of the latch plate 7 to permit the open pivoting of the latch plate 7.

The recess 4c of the body 4 is covered by a cover plate 38 of metal, as is understood from Fig. 8.

to As is understood from Figs. 4 and 5, the latch plate 7 is biased to pivot in the open direction (viz., in a counterclockwise direction in the drawings) by a spring (not shown), and the locking plate 9 is biased to pivot in the engaging direction (viz., in a clockwise direction in the drawings) by a spring 37.

25 As will become apparent from the following, in accordance with the present invention, a so-called meshing means is provided by or between the latch plate 7 and the locking plate 9.

As is seen from Figs. 6, 7 and 8, a base plate 11 of metal is fixed to a front side of the body 4. As is seen from Fig. 8, the So base plate 11 is generally L-shaped when viewed from an upper position. As is best seen from Fig. 8, a detecting lever 10 is pivotally connected to the base plate 11 through a pivot shaft portion 10a

I thereof. The detecting lever 10 is synchronously pivotal with the latch plate 7 for the reason which will be described hereinafter.

Referring back to Figs. 6 and 7, an open lever 12 is fixed to the shaft 8 of the locking plate 9 to pivot together with the 5 locking plate 9.

A locking/unlocking lever 13 is pivotally connected to the base plate 11 through a shaft portion 13a integrally formed on the lever 13. The lever 13 constitutes part of an after-mentioned locking/unlocking means.

to An outside lever 14 is pivotally connected to the base plate 11 through a pivot shaft 15 formed integrally formed on the lever 14. The outside lever 14 is connected through a connecting wire to an outside handle (not shown) which is mounted on an outside end portion of the door (viz., left lever) to be handled by an Is operator who stands beside the door.

First and second sub-levers 16 and 17 are arranged between the locking/unlocking lever 13 and the outside lever 14.

These first and second sub-levers 16 and 17 constitute part of the aftermentioned locking/unlocking means.

to A detecting switch 39 is connected to the base plate 11, which detects the open position of the latch plate 7 with the aid of the detecting lever 10.

As is seen from Fig. 6, the locking/unlocking lever 13 has an outside portion in which an engaging notch 13c is formed and 25 an inside portion on which a connecting stub 13d is provided. As will be described hereinafter, when a locking/unlocking knob (not shown) mounted on an inside wall of the door is manipulated or when, due to energization of the actuator unit 3, a driving force is applied to the locking/unlocking lever 13, the lever 13 is pivoted so to a locking position as shown in Fig. 6 or an unlocking portion as shown in Fig. 7.

As is understood from Figs. 6 and 7, when the outside handle (not shown) on the door is manipulated to be opened, the

outside lever 14 is pivoted counterclockwise from a stand-by position as shown in Fig. 6 to an unlocking position as shown in Fig. 7 against the force of a biasing spring 18.

The first sub-lever 16 has a lower end that is pivotally 5 connected to the outside lever 14 through a connecting shaft 19.

An upper portion of the first sub-lever 16 is formed with a slot 16a with which a projected portion 13b formed on a lower end of the locking/unlocking lever 13 is slidably engaged.

The second sub-lever 17 has a lower end that is pivotally to connected through a connecting shaft 19a to the first sub-lever 16. Due to work of a biasing spring 20, the second sub-lever 17 is biased in a clockwise direction relative to the first sub-lever 16, so that a right shoulder part 17a thereof abuts against a contact portion 16b of the first sublever 16 causing the second sub-lever 15 17 to keep the position of Fig. 6.

At a middle portion of the second sub-lever 17, there is formed a canceling portion 17b that is engageable with an engaging portion 12a formed on the open lever 12.

When the locking/unlocking lever 13 is in the locking to position, the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17 are in their locking positions as shown in Fig. 6, and when the locking/unlocking lever 13 is pivoted from the locking position to the unlocking position, the first and second sublevers 16 and 17 are pivoted clockwise by a given angle from the locking positions 25 to the unlocking positions.

When the second sub-lever 17 is in the locking position, the canceling portion 17b of the second sub-lever 17 is positioned away from the engaging portion 12a of the open lever 12, so that movement of the second sub-lever 17 is not transmitted to the so open lever 12. When the second sub-lever 17 is in the unlocking position, the canceling portion is positioned near the engaging portion 12a, so that movement of the second sub-lever 17 is transmitted to the open lever 12. That is, in this case, the

canceling portion 17b is brought into contact with the engaging portion 1 2a from an upper position.

When, with the locking/unlocking lever 13 and the first and second sublevers 16 and 17 being all in their unlocking positions, s the outside handle (not shown) of the door is manipulated for the purpose of opening the door, the outside lever 14 is pivoted toward the unlocking position. Upon this, the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17 are moved toward canceling positions.

With this, the canceling portion 17b of the second sub-lever 17 is to brought into contact with the engaging portion 12a of the open lever 12 to pivot the open lever 12 in the canceling direction (viz., in a clockwise direction in Figs. 6 and 7). Due to this canceling pivoting of the open lever 12, the locking plate 9 is pivoted in the canceling direction and thus disengaged from the pawl portions Is 7a and 7b of the latch plate 7. Thus, the latch plate 7 is permitted to pivot in a direction to release the striker 6. Under this condition, the door can be opened when pulled outward.

While, when, with the locking/unlocking lever 13 and the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17 being in their locking to positions, the outside handle of the door is manipulated, the outside lever 14 is pivoted toward the unlocking position and thus the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17 are moved toward the canceling positions like in the above-mentioned case. However, in this case, since the canceling portion 17b of the second sub 25 lever 17 fails to contact the engaging portion 12a of the open lever 12, thus, the locking plate 9 can not be pivoted toward the canceling position. Accordingly, when the locking/unlocking lever 13 is in the locking position, the door can not be opened even when the outside handle is manipulated for opening the 30 door.

As is seen from Figs. 8, 10 and 1l, the detecting lever 10 comprises the shaft portion 10a which is rotatably received in a cylindrical recess 4a formed on an upper portion of the body 4

and an arm portion 10b which radically outwardly extends from the shaft portion 10a.

As shown in Fig. 8, the arm portion 10b passes through a slot 4b formed in the body 4 and is led to the recess 4c of the s body 4. The arm portion 10b has a bent head 10d which is slidably engaged with a curved cam groove 7c formed in the latch plate 7. The shape of the cam groove 7c is seen from Fig. 9.

Referring back to Figs. 8, 10 and 11, the detecting lever 10 further comprises a stopper portion 10c which is formed on a to front end of the shaft portion 10a. The stopper portion 10c functions to stop the pivoting of the locking/unlocking lever 13 from the unlocking position toward the locking position when the latch plate 7 is in the open position (see Fig. 4).

As is seen from Figs. 9, 10 and 11, the detecting lever 10 15 further comprises a detecting projection 10e which projects radially outward from the shaft portion 10a. As is understood from Fig. 9, when the detecting projection 10e is brought into contact with an actuating member 39a of the detecting switch 39, the detecting switch 39 becomes ON.

to As is seen from Fig. 10, the detecting projection 10e is generally Ushaped in order to softly or effectively absorb a shock produced when contacting the actuating member 39a of the switch 39.

As is described hereinabove, the bent head 10d of the 25 detecting lever 10 is slidably engaged with the curved cam groove 7c of the latch plate 7. Due to this slidable engagement between the bent head sod and the cam groove 7c, pivoting of the latch plate 7 brings about the following operation of the detecting switch 39.

30 That is, when, as is seen from Fig. 7, the latch plate 7 is in the open position, the detecting projection toe of the detecting lever 10 contacts the actuating member 39a of the detecting switch 39 to operate the detecting switch 39, while when, as is

seen from Fig. 6, the latch plate 7 is in the close position, the detecting projection 10e is kept away from the actuating member 39a. That is, when the latch plate 7 is in the open position, the detecting lever 10 assumes its open position, and when the latch 5 plate 7 is in the close position, the detecting lever 10 assumes its close position.

As is seen from Fig. 7, when the detecting lever 10 is in the open position and the locking/unlocking lever 13 is in the unlocking position, the stopper portion 10c of the detecting lever 10 10 is in engagement with the engaging notch 13c of the locking/unlocking lever 13, so that pivoting of the locking/unlocking lever 13 from the unlocking position toward the locking position is blocked. When, under this condition, the door is closed, the detecting lever 10 is pivoted to the close position in 15 response to the pivoting of the latch plate 7 as is seen from Fig. 6, so that the stopper portion 10c of the detecting lever 10 is disengaged from the engaging notch 13c of the locking/unlocking lever 13 permitting the pivoting of the locking/unlocking lever 13 from the locking position toward the unlocking position.

to Thus, as is described hereinabove, the detecting lever 10 has two functions, one being a function given by the detecting projection 10e wherein the open/close condition of the door is detected by actuating the detecting switch 39, the other being a function given by the stopper portion 10c wherein a locking 25 movement of the locking/unlocking knob under open condition of the door is blocked.

It is to be noted that the latter function prevents the driver from leaving an ignition key in an ignition cylinder slot when he or she is about to leave the vehicle. If, with the ignition key left JO in the ignition cylinder slot or on the driver's seat, the driver standing outside the vehicle closes the door with the locking/unlocking knob assuming the lock position, the door thus

:ll closed is locked. In this case, the driverhas to use a spare key to open the door. This is very troublesome.

In the following, the actuator unit 3 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, especially Figs. 12 and 13.

5 Fig. 12 is a front view of the actuator unit 3 with a cover 22 removed, and Fig. 13 is a back view of the cover 22.

As is seen from Fig. 12, the actuator unit 3 comprises a plasticshousing 21 which is generally L-shaped when viewed from an upper position. The housing 21 has a recess 21b which is to covered by the plasticscover 22.

As is seen from Fig. 3, upon assembly of the door latch device 1 of the invention, the actuator unit 3 is mounted to the front side of the latch unit 2 from the direction of the arrow "VI".

As is seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the actuator unit 3 is fixed to the Is base plate 11 of the latch unit 2.

The housing 21 comprises a cover portion 21a and the above-mentioned recess 21b. The cover portion 21a covers a front side of the latch unit 2 where the open lever 12, the locking/unlocking lever 13, the outside lever 14 and the first and to second sub-levers 16 and 17 are arranged. The recess 21b contains after-mentioned various parts of the actuator unit 3. As is seen from Figs. 2 and 3, by mating with bent end portions 11a of the base plate 11 of the latch unit 2, the housing 21 is fixed to the latch unit 2.

as Thus, the housing 21 has two functions, one being a function to contain the various parts of the actuator unit 3 and the other being a function to hermetically seal the latch unit 2 and to prevent insertion of a picking tool into the door latch device 1.

so As is seen from Fig. 12, within the recess 21b of the housing 21, there are installed first and second motors 23 and 24 which are controlled by a remote controller installed in an ignition key or the like. A worm wheel 25 is meshed with a worm 23a

which is provided on an output shaft of the first motor 23. A straightly movable rack lever 26 is meshed with a pinion 25a which is concentrically connected to the worm wheel 25. A knob lever 27 is pivotally connected to the housing 21 through its pivot 5 shaft portion 28 and is connected to the locking/unlocking knob through a wire 40 (see Fig. 1). A sector gear 31 is pivotally connected to the housing 21 through its pivot shaft portion 29 and is driven by the second motor 24 through a gear 30 which is pivotally connected to the housing 21 through its shaft portion 28.

to The plasticscover 22 is fixed to the housing 21 in a manner to cover the recess 21b of the housing 21.

As is seen from Fig. 13, on an inner surface of the cover 22, there are arranged an inside lever 32 which is pivotally connected to the cover 22 through its pivot shaft portion 33 and connected 15 to an inside handle (not shown) of the door through a wire 41 (see Fig. 1), and a switch lever 34 which is integrally rotatable with the inside lever 32 and slidable in a fore-and-aft direction relative to the inside lever 32. If desired, the switch lever 34 may be removed.

so As is seen from Fig. 15, the straightly movable rack lever 26 has a shoulder portion 26b which is integrally formed at a generally middle portion of the rack lever 26, an engage/disengage lever 36 which is pivotally connected to a lower portion of the rack lever 26 through its pivot shaft portion 25 35, and a connecting opening 26a which is formed at an upper portion of the rack lever 26.

An engaging stud 27a formed on the knob lever 27 is put between the shoulder portion 26b and an upper edge 36a of the engage/disengage lever 36, so that the rack lever 26 is 30 connected to the knob lever 27.

When, as is seen from Fig. 8, the housing 21 is mounted to the latch unit 2, the connecting stub 13d of the locking/unlocking lever 13 is mated with the connecting opening 26a of the rack

lever 26 thereby to establish connection between the locking/unlocking lever 13 and the rack lever 26.

In the above-mentioned manner, the knob lever 27 is connected to the rack lever 26, and the rack lever 26 is 5 connected to the locking/unlocking lever 13. Thus, upon energization of the first motor 23, the locking/unlocking lever 13 and the knob lever 27 can be pivoted to their locking positions or unlocking positions through the rack lever 26. Furthermore, upon manipulation of the locking/unlocking knob, the rack lever to 26 and the locking/unlocking lever 13 can be moved or pivoted to their locking positions or unlocking positions.

Due to operation of the second motor 24, the sector gear 31 can be pivoted between a locking position as shown in Figs. 12 and 15 and an unlocking position that is displaced from the Is locking position in a counterclockwise direction by a predetermined angle in the drawings. When the sector gear 31 is in the locking position as shown in the drawings, the upper edge 36a of the engage/disengage lever 36 takes such a position as not be engageable with the engaging stud 27a of the knob lever to 27, while when the sector gear 31 is in the unlocking position, the upper edge 36a takes such a position as to be engageable with the engaging stud 27a as shown in Fig. 16 thereby to connect the knob lever 27 with the rack lever 26. As is seen from Fig. 12, for allowing the upper edge 36a of the engage/disengaged lever 25 36 to take the above-mentioned two positions, a projection 36b formed on the engage/disengaged lever 36 slides in and along an elongate slot 31a formed in the sector gear 31.

As is seen from Figs. 14 and 15, the switch lever 34 has at a generally center portion a stud 34a which is slidably engaged so with an elongate slot 31b formed in the sector gear 31. Thus, when the sector gear 31 is in the locking position, the switch lever 34 assumes a locking position as shown by a solid line in Fig. 13 where it is retracted from an actuating end of the inside lever

. 32 and disengeable with an engaging end 14a of the outside lever 14, while, when the sector gear 31 is in the unlocking position, the switch lever 34 assumes an unlocking position as shown by a phantom line in Fig. 13 where it is projected from the actuating s end of the inside lever 32 and is engageable with the engaging end 14a of the outside lever 14. The switch lever 34 shown in Fig. 16 assumes the unlocking position.

Upon manipulation of the inside handle, the inside lever 32 and its associated parts carry out the following actions in to accordance with the positions assumed by the parts.

When, with the switch lever 34 being in the unlocking position and the rack lever 26 being in the locking position, the inside handle is manipulated, the inside lever 32 is pivoted toward its unlocking position (viz., in a clockwise direction in Fig. 15 13 and in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 16). With this movement, the stud 34a of the switch lever 34 is brought into engagement with an engaging portion 26c of the rack lever 26 from an upper position as is seen from Fig. 16. With this, the rack lever 26 can be shifted to unlocking position.

to When, with the locking/unlocking lever 13, the first and second sublevers 16 and 17, the rack lever 26, the knob lever 27, the sector gear 31,and the switch lever 34 being all in the unlocking positions, the inside handle is manipulated, the inside lever 32 and the switch lever 34 are pivoted toward the unlocking 25 positions. With this movement, the switch lever 34 is brought into contact with the engaging end 14a of the outside lever 14 to pivot the same to the unlocking position. Thus, the door can be opened. When, with the sector gear 31 and the switch lever 34 JO being in the unlocking positions and the locking/unlocking lever 13, the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17, the rack lever 26, and the knoblever 27 being in the locking positions, the inside handle is manipulated, the inside lever 32 and the switch lever 34

: 4\ l are pivoted toward the unlocking positions. With this movement, the switch lever 34 is brought into engagement with the engaging end 14a of the outside lever 14 to pivot the same from the stand-

by position to the unlocking position, and as is seen from Fig. 16, 5 the stud 34a of the switch lever 34 is brought into engagement with the engaging portion 26c of the rack lever 26 to move the rack lever 26 from the locking position to the unlocking position.

The outside lever 14 thus being pivoted in the unlocking direction moves the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17 toward to their unlocking positions while keeping the locking condition of the levers 16 and 17. With this, the canceling portion 17b of the second sub-lever 17 is moved beside the engaging portion 12a of the open lever 12 without making engagement with the engaging portion 12a.

15 When, under this condition, the locking/unlocking lever 13 is pivoted from the locking position to the unlocking position through the rack lever 26, a side edge of the canceling portion 17b of the second sub- lever 17 is brought into contact with a side surface of the engaging portion 12a of the open lever 12, and to thus movement of the second sub- lever 17 toward the unlocking position is blocked. Accordingly, only the first sub-lever 16 is moved against the biasing force of the spring 20 from the locking position to the unlocking position together with the locking/unlocking lever 13.

25 When, under this condition, the manipulation of the outside handle is stopped to cause the outside lever 14 to return to the stand-by position, the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17 are returned to their upper positions and thus the contact between the canceling portion of the second sub-lever 17 and the so engaging portion 12a of the open lever 12 becomes cancelled permitting the second sub-lever 17 to move to the unlocking position due to the biasing force of the spring 20.

When, then, the outside handle is manipulated again for pivoting the outside lever 14 to the unlocking position, the first and second sublevers 16 and 17 are moved to the unlocking positions. During this, the canceling portion 17b of the second 5 sub-lever 17 is brought into contact with the engaging portion 12a of the open lever 12 to pivot the open lever 12 toward the unlocking position. With this, the locking plate 9 is disengaged from the pawl portion 7a or 7b of the latch plate 7 permitting the latch plate 7 to pivot to the open position. Thus, under this to condition, the door can be opened.

As is described hereinabove, even when the locking/unlocking means (viz., the locking/unlocking lever 13 and the first and second sub-levers 16 and 17) is in the locking condition, the door can be opened by carrying out two, that is, 15 first and second successive manipulations to the inside handle.

That is, by the first manipulation of the inside handle, the locking/unlocking means is turned to the unlocking condition, and by the second manipulation of the inside handle, the locking plate 9 is pivoted to release the latch plate 7, thereby permitting the to door to be opened. In other words, even when the locking/unlocking means (13, 16 and 17) is in the locking condition, a passenger in the vehicle can open the door by making a double action on the inside handle without making an unlocking operation to the locking/unlocking knob.

25 When, as is seen from Figs. 12 and 15, the engaged/disengage lever 36 is in the locking position, the pivoting of the knob lever 27 from the locking position to the unlocking position does not induce an engagement of the engaging stud 27a of the knob lever 27 with the upper edge 36a so of the engage/disengage lever 36. Accordingly, even when, under such condition, the locking/unlocking knob is manually moved from the locking position to the unlocking position to pivot the knob lever 27 to the unlocking position, the pivoting

movement of the knob lever 27 from the locking position to the unlocking position is not transmitted to the rack lever 26. Thus, under this condition, the door in a locked condition can not be unlocked by an illegal person who handles the locking/unlocking 5 knob with a picking tool.

As is described hereinabove, in the door latch device 1 of the present invention, the knob lever 27 linked to the locking/unlocking knob through the wire 40 and the inside lever 32 linked to the inside handle through the wire 41 are all to mounted on the side of the actuator unit 3. In other words, all the parts (viz., the knob lever 27 and inside lever 32) actuated by the locking/unlocking knob and inside handle which are mounted on the inside wall of the door are not mounted on- the side of the latch unit 2. That is, the latch unit 2 has no need of Is preparing a space and/or place for mounting such parts, and thus, the latch unit 2 can be made simple and compact.

The recess 21b of the housing 21 of the actuator unit 3 is covered by the cover 22 fixed to the housing 21. Thus, as is understood from Fig. 15, the inside lever 32 and the switch lever to 34, which are incorporated with the rack lever 26, the knob lever 27 and the sector gear 31, can be put on each other in a direction of the thickness of the door. With this flat arrangement of the inside lever 32 and the switch lever 34, the recess 21b of the housing 21 can have a sufficient containing space. In other 25 words, the actuator unit 3 can be made compact in size.

Furthermore, due to provision of the cover 22, the parts in the recess 21b are protected from rain water. Furthermore, due to provision of the cover 22, the parts in the recess 21b are protected from a picking tool manipulated by an illegal person.

so As is described hereinabove, because of provision of the detecting lever 10 and the detecting switch 39, the angular position of the latch plate 7 can be detected. Furthermore, due to the unique cooperation between the detecting lever 10 (viz.,

r the stopper portion 10c) and the locking/unlocking lever 13 (viz., the engaging notch 13c), when the door is opened, switching the locking/unlocking lever 13 from the unlocking condition to the locking condition can be suppressed. Accordingly, according to 5 the present invention, without increasing the number of parts of an automotive door latch device 1, the open/close condition of the door can be detected and at the same time, a driver can be protected from leaving an ignition key in an ignition cylinder slot when he or she leaves the vehicle.

to The entire contents of Japanese Patent Application 2002 323568 filed November 7, 2002 are incorporated herein by reference. Although the invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment of the invention, the invention is Is not limited to such embodiment as described above. Various modifications and variations of such embodiment may be carried out by those skilled in the art, in light of the above description.

Claims

i. An automotive door latch device comprising: a latch plate which is pivotal and engageable with a striker; a detecting lever which is synchronously pivotal with the 5 latch plate; a detecting switch which detects an angular position of the latch plate by checking the angular position of the detecting lever; and a locking/unlocking means linked to a locking/unlocking to knob mounted on an inside wall of a door, the locking/unlocking means being capable of changing its condition between an unlocking condition wherein a door opening operation of inside and outside handles of the door is operative and a locking condition wherein the door opening operation of the inside and 15 outside handles of the door is inoperative; wherein the detecting lever includes: a detecting projection contactable with the detecting switch to actuate the same; and a stopper portion which stops changing of the condition of go the locking/unlocking means from the unlocking condition to the locking condition by engaging with the locking/unlocking means when, with the locking/unlocking means assuming the unlocking condition, the latch plate is disengaged from the striker, and permits the changing of the condition of the locking/unlocking 25 means from the locking condition to the unlocking condition by disengaging from the locking/unlocking means when, with the locking/unlocking means assuming the locking condition, the latch plate is engaged with the striker.

so
2. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim i, in

which the locking/unlocking means comprises a locking/unlocking lever which is pivotally connected to a base member to which the detecting lever is pivotally connected.

Or '
3. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim 2, in which the iocking/unlocking lever is formed with an engaging notch with which the stopper portion of the detecting lever is 5 detachably engageable.
4. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim 3, in which when the stopper portion of the detecting lever is in engagement with the engaging notch of the locking/unlocking to lever, pivoting of the locking/unlocking lever from its unlocking position to its locking position is blocked.
5. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim i, in which the detecting projection of the detecting lever is made 15 flexible in order to effectively absorb a shock produced when it is brought into abutment with an actuating member of the detecting switch.
6. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim 5, in to which the detecting projection of the detecting lever has a generally U-shaped construction.
7. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim 2, in which the locking/unlocking means further comprises: 25 a first sub-lever pivotally connected to an outside lever and having a slot with which a projection of the locking/unlocking lever is slidably engaged; and a second sub- lever pivotally connected to the first sub-lever, the second sub-lever having a shoulder part which is contactable so with a contact portion of the first sub-lever.
8. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim 7, further comprising a biasing spring by which the shoulder part of

the second sub-lever is biased to abut against the contact portion of the first sub-lever.
9. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim 8, in 5 which the second sub-lever is formed with a canceling portion which is engageable with an engaging portion of an open lever, the open lever being pivotal together with a locking plate which is detachably engageable with the latch plate to lock the same.

to
10. An automotive door latch device as claimed in Claim 5, in which the detecting lever further comprises: a shaft portion pivotally connected to a base member; an arm portion radially outwardly extending from the shaft portion; and 15 a bent head formed on a leading end of the arm portion, the bent head being slidably engaged with a curved cam groove formed in the latch plate.
11. An automotive door latch device comprising: 20 a latch plate which is pivotal and engageable with a striker; a detecting lever which is synchronously pivotal with the latch plate; a detecting switch which detects an angular position of the latch plate by checking the angular position of the detecting 25 lever; and a locking/unlocking lever which is pivotal and linked to a locking/unlocking knob mounted on an inside wall of a door, the locking/unlocking lever being pivotal between an unlocking position where a door opening operation of inside and outside so handles of the door is operative and a locking position where the door opening operation of the inside and outside handles of the door is inoperative; wherein the locking/unlocking lever is pivotally connected

to a base member to which the detecting lever is pivotally connected; and wherein the detecting lever includes: a detecting projection which is made flexible and 5 contactable with the detecting switch to actuate the same; and a stopper portion which stops the pivoting of the locking/unlocking lever from the unlocking position to the locking position by engaging with an engaging notch of the locking/unlocking lever when, with the locking/unlocking lever to assuming the unlocking position, the latch plate is disengaged from the striker, and permits the pivoting of the locking/unlocking lever from the locking position to the unlocking position by disengaging from the engaging notch of the locking/unlocking lever when, with the locking/unlocking lever 15 assuming the locking position, the latch plate is engaged with the striker.
12. An automotive door latch device substantially as described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.