JPS5843549B2 - car door latch - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Generally, a door latch for an automobile is used to open and close a door, and closes the door by engaging with a striker fixed to the door frame.

In manufacturing this door latch, tolerances are allowed in the relative positional relationship between the door latch and the striker.

This allows the door latch and striker to continue to engage and disengage even if there is an error in the mounting position of the door latch and striker, or even if the hinge that supports the door wears out and the door falls downward due to its own weight. It is necessary for

Conventionally, there have been no door latches that take such tolerances into consideration.

In particular, there was no door latch that met the latter tolerance.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a latch for an automobile door that operates so as to satisfy the above-mentioned tolerances, makes less noise when closing, and has less wear.

In the present invention, in order to satisfy the above-mentioned tolerance, the door latch is initially mounted on the door at a higher position than the striker fixed to the door frame of the automobile, and as the door hinge wears out, Even when the door latch is lowered, the door latch and the striker can be engaged and disengaged.

Therefore, the relative positions of the door latch and the striker are initially such that the striker rides on the guide portion of the door latch when the door is closed.

As a result, when the door is closed, the door latch receives a vertically downward force from the striker.

Therefore, in the present invention, a mechanism is provided to alleviate the downward vertical force received from the striker, thereby improving the durability of the door latch against repeated stress that is applied each time the door is closed.

The present invention relates to a latch for a motor vehicle door.

According to the present invention, a latch for an automobile door includes a housing having a front plate and a rear plate, with a plastic molding placed between these plates, and a housing extending between the two plates. a generally U-shaped bolt mounted on one of the pivot pins and a pawl adapted to cooperate therewith to hold said bolt in a locked position engaged by a striker; Mounted on a second pivot pin extending between two plates, the plastic molding cooperates with the striker to guide it into engagement with the bolt during the final phase of relative movement between the striker and the bolt. and a portion arranged to obtain a wedge action, the plastic molded portion producing the wedge action receiving an elastomer block, the elastomer block having an aperture formed therethrough through which the first pivot pin passes. A latch for a motor vehicle door is provided, wherein the bolt is mounted on the outside of an elastomer block surrounding a pivot pin.

The means for mounting the bolt onto the first pivot pin includes a flanged plastic bushing that fits into the aperture of the bolt, the flange of the bushing being arranged to engage the adjacent surface of the housing, Acts as a spacer to prevent frictional contact between bolt and housing.

The cylindrical part of the bushing fits around the extension of the elastomer block, thereby providing elastic mounting of the bolt and noise prevention.

The elastomer block is also preferably adapted to exert an elastic stress which urges the bolt towards said adjacent surface of the housing and counteracts the movement of the bolt in the axial direction of the first pivot pin.

Additionally, the elastomeric block desirably acts as a throw block and serves to limit overtravel of the striker relative to the latch.

In this way, opening of the door is aided upon release of the latch.

This is particularly desirable when the door seal is inadequate.

A second elastomeric block is placed within the recess of the plastic molding, the block being positioned such that a pin in the pawl engages the block when the pawl holds the bolt in its locked position. This provides additional damping of the latch movable part.

The bolt is preferably cocked so that when the bolt is in its locked position, a pawl engages one arm of the bolt to prevent its movement, and when the bolt is in its fully open position, a pawl engages one arm of the bolt to prevent its movement. engages the other arm of the bolt and biases the bolt to a position where said one arm engages the abutment surface.

This abutment surface can consist of a projection of a plastic molding.

As described above, the present invention provides a latch that has a long life by sufficiently absorbing the vertical load acting from the striker toward the door latch due to the wedge action when the door is closed, and also reduces noise when closing the door. An object of the present invention is to provide a latch for an automobile door in which the bolt is free from friction with the housing.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

The latch to be mounted on a door has a housing 10 consisting of two metal plates 11 and 12 which are connected to a pair of pivot pins 13 and 14.
are fixed to each other by.

A bolt 15 is mounted on the first pivot pin 13 on one side, and a claw 1 is mounted on the second pivot pin 14 on the other side.
6 is installed.

The bolt 15 is generally U-shaped and has a pair of arms 17 and 18, these arms 17 being connected by a striker shaft 19 fixed to the vehicle door frame when the door is closed in its locked position. and 18.

A plastic bushing 20 surrounds the first pivot pin 13 to prevent direct metal-to-metal contact between the pivot pin 13 and the bolt 15;
0 is provided with a flange that contacts the side of the bolt 15 adjacent to the front plate 12 of the housing, so that this flange acts as a spacer to prevent direct frictional contact between the bolt 15 and the front plate 12. do.

The bushing 20 is fitted around the extension of an elastomeric block 21, which is arranged in the housing 10 by means of a plastic molding 22.

The elastomer block 21 serves as an elastic mounting member for the bushing 20 and prevents noise during opening and closing, and also acts on the bolt 15 to press it toward the plate 12 on the front of the housing.

The plastic molding 22 has a guide channel for the enlarged head 23 of the striker shank 19 to ensure correct alignment between the door and the door frame during the final closing movement of the door.

This guide channel consists of an upper guide section 2 consisting of a continuous upper wall.
4, and a lower guide portion 25 made of a leaf spring.

This leaf spring forms part of the lower wall of the guide channel and is arranged to be bent by the head 23 of the striker shank 19 during the final stage of the door closing movement.

In this way, a wedge effect is obtained which ensures reliable door retention.

The lower guide portion 25 made of a leaf spring is supported by an elastomer block 21 (Fig. 2), which supports the force of being pushed down in the vertical direction by the striker shaft 19 when the door is closed, so that the door can be repeatedly opened and closed. Even if this occurs, the lower guide portion 25 made of the leaf spring is prevented from breaking.

When the shank 19 of the striker is at the inner end of said guide channel and is held intermediate the two arms 17 and 18 of the bolt 15, the correspondence between the hook-like formation 26 of the pawl 16 and the arm 18 of the bolt The engagement with the forming portion 27 prevents the bolt 15 from rotating, and the pawl 16 is springed into its position by the spring.

When the pawl 16 is released and the bolt 15 is free to pivot to its released position, movement of the shaft 19 relative to the housing 10 is assisted by the restoring resilience of the portion 28 of the elastomer block 21.

Portion 28 of this block is held in a compressed state while the door is closed, but is capable of producing an initial dispensing action.

The plastic molding 22 also has a portion 29 surrounding the second pivot pin 14 for the pawl 16.

Furthermore, the plastic molding 22 comprises a seat of a second elastomer block 30, which seat is arranged to form a resilient abutment surface for the pin 31 carried by the claw 16, and which forms a hook-shaped formation of the claw 16. When 26 is moved to its locking position in which it engages arm 18 of bolt 15, said pin 31 comes into engagement with resilient abutment surface 30.

In this way, the impact transmission effect between the pawl 16 and the plastic molding 22 is reduced, with consequent reduction in the noise level during door closing and vehicle use.

In this manner, the automobile door latch of the present invention has an elastomer block that resiliently supports the lower guide portion being pushed downward by the striker under the lower guide portion that wedges the striker when the door is closed. At the same time, the elastomer block is fitted onto the outside of the first pivot pin provided below the lower guide portion O, and the striker is engaged with the outside of the elastomer block so that it rides on it when the door is closed. Since the U-shaped bolt is fitted externally, the vertical load that is applied when the door is closed is elastically supported not only by the lower guide section and the elastomer block, but also by the first pivot pin. This increases the lifespan of the latch itself.

Further, even if the door hinge is worn and the door is lowered, the striker shaft 19 can smoothly enter and exit the guide portion of the door latch, so that the door can be opened and closed smoothly over a long period of time.

In addition, the sound generated when closing can be sufficiently muffled by the elastomer block, and by inserting a plastic sleeve between the bolt and the elastomer block, frictional contact between the bolt and the housing can be prevented, and the pin can be inserted into the claw. By providing another elastomer block at the position where this pin engages, it is possible to support the claw while preventing the generation of noise from the claw.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing the bolt, pawl and striker of an automobile door latch, Fig. 2 is a side view of a plastic molded product with an elastomer block that forms part of the door latch, and Fig. 3 is a schematic side view showing the bolt, pawl and striker of an automobile door latch. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the latch showing the striker in the locking position, and FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing how the bolt is placed. be. 10... Housing, 11, 12... Plate, 1
3... First pivot pin, 14... Second pivot pin, 15... Bolt, 16... Pawl, 19...
・Striker, 20...Plastic bush, 21・
... Elastomer block, 22... Plastic molded product, 24 Upper guide part of striker guide channel,
25... Lower guide part, 28... Throwing part, 30.
...Second elastomer block.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A striker 19 attached to a first pivot pin 13 stretched between a housing 10 formed of a front plate 12 and a rear plate 11, and the two plays NL12. a bolt 15 formed in a U-shape as a whole so as to engage with the striker 19;
A claw 16 that cooperates with this bolt 15 to hold the bolt 15 in its chained position when engaged with the bolt 15, and is attached to the second pivot pin 14 stretched between the two plates NL12. Claw 16 and the above two plays) 11, 12
an upper guide portion located between the striker 19 and the bolt 15 that cooperates with the striker 19 to guide the striker 19 into engagement with the bolt 15 and to create a wedge action during the final stage of the relative movement between the striker 19 and the bolt 15; 24 and a lower guide portion 25; and an elastomer block 21 disposed within the housing 10 and operative to support the lower guide portion 25 of the plastic molding 22. In the latch, the first pivot pin 13 is disposed below the lower guide portion 25 and inserted through the opening of the elastomer block 21, and the bolt 15 is placed around the first pivot pin 13. A latch for an automobile door, characterized in that the latch is attached to the outside of an elastomer block 21. 2. A second elastomer block 30 is placed in the recess of the plastic molded product 22, and a pin 31 is provided protruding from the claw 16. 1
5, wherein the pin 31 is arranged to engage the second elastomeric block 30 when the elastomer block 30 is positioned to hold the elastomer block 5 in its locked position. Car door latch. 3. Fit a plastic bushing 20 with a flange into the opening of the bolt 15, and insert the plastic bushing 20 into the elastomer block 2 around the first pivot pin 13.
The bolt 15 is mounted on the first pivot pin 13 by fitting around the extension of the plastic bushing 20 and the flange of the plastic bushing 20 is positioned to engage an adjacent surface of the housing 10, thereby 2. The latch for an automobile door according to claim 1, wherein the flange acts as a spacer to prevent frictional contact between the bolt 15 and the housing 10.