KR100567973B1 - Latch arrangements for automotive doors or other closures - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a latch device for releasably restraining a striker, the latch device comprising: a latch bolt configured to hold a striker in a latching position and to release the striker in an unlatching position; A locking mechanism movable between a locking position for holding the latch bolt in a latching position and an unlocking position for allowing the latch bolt to move to an unlatching position; Connecting means for connecting the locking mechanism to a latch-open external manual control such as a door handle; Drive means coupled to the locking mechanism and / or the latch bolt for powered operation to latch or unlatch the locking mechanism and / or to drive the latch bolt to a latching or unlatching position; A rotary clutch coupling the drive means to an electric drive motor; And a clutch release mechanism operatively coupled to the external manual control such that the latch bolt and locking mechanism are isolated from the drive means by operation of the latch-open external manual control.

Description

LATCH ARRANGEMENTS FOR AUTOMOTIVE DOORS OR OTHER CLOSURES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to latch arrangements for closures, such as door and trunk door locks of automobiles, and although not exclusively, particularly to electronic central locking systems for automobiles. A useful latch device. The invention also relates to a part of a latch, a system for coupling the part, and a method of manufacturing a latch device. In general, it is an object of the present invention to simplify and make this latch arrangement more compact, saving cost and reducing the weight of the motor vehicle.

Electronic central locking systems are known and examples of typical systems are disclosed in GB-A-2167482, and further improved systems are disclosed in Applicant's PCT Publication WO 97/28338. These systems centrally control the locking and unlocking of other closures, such as trunk doors, bonnets, lubrication caps, among other vehicle functions such as vehicle doors and lighting. They generally interact mechanically with conventional locking mechanisms that include an outer key mechanism and an inner door locking knob for each door. The inner and outer door handles are inoperable or neutral by this locking mechanism.

Vehicle door latches are described, for example, in Applicants' WO 97/19242 "Latch and Latch Actuator Devices", WO 97/19243 "Latch Devices Suitable for Automotive Doors", and WO 97/28337 "Latch Actuator Devices". Is disclosed. An electric motor coupled inside the latch and typically controlled by a central locking device drives the mechanism for locking and unlocking the latch. The problems with door latches made in accordance with other patent publications such as EP-A-397966 (Roltra-Moreses Spa) and GB-A-2221719 (Kiekert GmbH & Co Kommanditgesellschaft) are related to size, weight and complexity. .

Moreover, a mechanism for using an electric motor to complete the closure of a partially closed door is known, for example, from US-A-5423582 (Kiekert GmbH & Co Kommanditgesellschaft), which is used to release the latch and open the door. Systems for using motors are also known from EP-A-625625 (General Motors Corporation), for example, which discloses power assisted door opening and closing, but to date any of these conventional systems are integrated with an electronic central locking device. Could not be. Some of the inventions disclosed herein offer the possibility of using integrated electric central locking and electric door opening and / or closing, and a common electric motor for all of these functions. This substantially advances the art of the art.

In order to illustrate the possibility of reducing the number of latch components required for assembly during manufacture, EP-A-743413 (Rockwell Light Vehicle System (UK) Limited), entitled "Vehicle Door Latch Device," It can be seen that a very large number of parts are required. The present invention greatly reduces the number of components by simplifying the mechanical operation of the latch and its interaction with the electric motor drive.

It is important from a safety point of view that all electrically actuated drive systems, such as locking and door opening and closing, can be controlled by appropriate manual mechanical actuation in the event of an electrical failure or failure. Each individual invention can be used in a latch that is completely mechanically controlled.

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Double locking or so-called deadlocking or "super locking" mechanisms for vehicle doors are known. If the door is locked by a key mechanism or electronic central locking, it cannot be unlocked by the inner door knob. It can only be unlocked by the inner door knob if it is locked by the door knob. In order to achieve this efficiently and simply, an embodiment of the present invention provides a door latch for an automobile having a double locking device.

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Existing vehicle door latches generally include components inside the housing and components extending out of the housing to make the device bulky. As disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,419,597 to Kiekert as an example, a lever that releases the latch to open the door and is connected to the door handle by a cable generally protrudes from the latch housing. Applicant selectively connects a latching pawl (or described as a "locking member"), a latching pawl release lever connected to the door handle, and preferably a latching pawl release lever to the latching pawl. It has been found that by providing a common axis of rotation for the rotary coupling member for simplification, it is possible to simplify the latch arrangement and to receive a lever actuated by the door handle in the latch housing.

Typically, the door latch includes a housing in which parts are permanently riveted so that the door latch cannot be removed without breaking. Embodiments of the present invention overcome this problem and simplify the assembly process by providing a latch device with a housing with a retaining means for releasably holding parallel plates.

In some door latch devices that engage electrically actuated actuator members for locking and unlocking, locking and unlocking is temporarily blocked when one of the handles of the door is pulled but not once unlocked. Thus, it is necessary to repeat the operation for locking and unlocking. In order to solve this problem, the present invention allows the operation to be completed completely continuously once the handle is released without having to repeat the operation.

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In order to connect the electric motor drive to various actuation members in the latch device, for door opening and / or closing, and / or for other functions such as locking and unlocking or child safety locking, the applicant has a configuration in the drive actuator. The rotary indexing mechanism, which is elastically coupled with the configuration of the rotary indexing mechanism, was found to be particularly useful. The elasticity of this connection ensures that once the operation is completed over the rotating stage of the indexing mechanism, successive rotations of the indexing mechanism pass through the actuator and prevent failure. It also simplifies the mechanical arrangement by allowing positional tolerances. Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide a latch assembly.

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Some of the existing door latch devices provide a so-called panic door opening in which the door can be unlocked by the operation of the inner door handle without having to raise the inner door knob. The door is then kept unlocked so that it can be opened by the outer door handle. This prevents the vehicle from being inadvertently locked by the occupant. Typically, the door latch is unlocked when the vehicle is in operation, but may be locked even when the vehicle is stationary or in operation. Another embodiment of the present invention allows an emergency door opening to be provided in a latch device of a compact and simple configuration.

Of particular importance in the present invention is the combination of electrical door latch release (door open) and electrical locking using a common electric motor. In addition, embodiments of the present invention provide for the closing of the door by electrical power using an electric motor. Furthermore, such a latch device preferably provides for selective electrical control of the inner or outer door handle, for example for opening the door, and provides an electrically actuated child safety device.

Typically the latch device comprises a latch bolt for engaging a fixed striker in the door frame, and a latching pawl for releasably holding the latch bolt to latch the latch bolt. Thus, electrical door opening can be achieved by operating the latching pawl. Applicant has found a particularly advantageous device for electrically unlocking the door and opening the door using a linear actuator acting directly on the latching pawl, which device is independently opened by an external mechanical means such as a door handle. Can be opened.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides another advantageous device for releasing the electric door latch upon manual door opening using a rotary actuator acting directly on the latching pawl.

Closing the door by electrical power requires applying a drive to the latch bolt, which pulls the fixed striker so that the door is pulled to its full closed position. Applicant has found a particularly advantageous device with a rotary actuator acting on the latch bolt by electric power. Preferably, this device also provides for the opening of the door, ie the same electric drive, and preferably the same rotary actuator is used to release the latching pawl so that the door can be opened.

As an advantageous alternative to a device using a rotary actuator, the present invention also provides a linear actuator acting directly on the latch bolt and provides for selective door opening.

With all these devices, any electrical function can be mechanically complemented. That is, independent mechanical operation is possible.

In the door latch device, there is a risk that the door is accidentally locked when the door is hardly closed. This is particularly disadvantageous for electric central locking devices in which the locking of one door is connected to the locking of all doors. Conventional anti-slam locking arrangements are generally very complex, and the object of embodiments of the present invention is to provide an anti-slam latch device with the advantages of compactness and simplicity. This is accomplished by appropriately placing the reciprocating sliding coupling member in the latch device. According to an embodiment of the present invention, anti-slam latching is achieved differently by preventing the movement of the actuator in the latch device whether the device is in the unlatching state or the door is open. The latch device has a fixed configuration that cooperates with the coupling actuator only when in the unlocking structure.

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In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are merely examples. Common reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or corresponding parts.

1 is a schematic view of a centrally locked vehicle.

2 is a schematic representation of a portion of an automobile door and a frame.

3 is a schematic block diagram of one of the central locking system and the latching device;

4 is a schematic wiring diagram of an electronic central locking system for an automobile, corresponding to FIG. 1 of Applicant's International Application WO 97/28338 described above.

5 is a side view of a mechanically driven switch device forming part of a latch device for an automobile door;

6 is a schematic top view of a cam device forming part of the device of FIG. 5;

7 is a schematic circuit diagram of a motor control circuit including the switch of FIG.

8 is a schematic circuit diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 but further including a relay switch for controlling the opening of the door;

9 shows an electric door opening mechanism;

10 illustrates another embodiment of an electric door opening mechanism.

11 shows the electric door opening and closing mechanism.

12 illustrates an electric door opening and closing mechanism.

13 illustrates another embodiment of an electric door opening and closing mechanism.

14 shows a variant of the electric door opening and closing mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 15 shows an electric door opening mechanism as a variant of FIG. 10; FIG.

FIG. 16 shows an electric door opening and closing mechanism as a variant of FIG. 13. FIG.

17 illustrates another electric door opening and closing mechanism.

FIG. 18 illustrates another electric door opening and closing mechanism using rotational indexing and driving mechanism.

18A shows a door opening device integrated with electrical locking.

18B illustrates an electric door opening and closing mechanism using a bidirectional rotating indexing and driving device.

FIG. 19 shows a latch device with rotational indexing and driving mechanisms for opening and closing electric doors as well as opening and closing doors by power;

20 is a partial view of two of the parts of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a simplified view of two of the parts of FIG. 19, but with a modified version of the motor transmission.

FIG. 22 is a variant of FIG. 16 showing an electric door opening and closing mechanism; FIG.

23 shows another door opening device;

FIG. 24 shows a miniature latch device in a housing suitable for an automotive door, electrically locked.

FIG. 25 illustrates a latch device for selectively electrically locking a door having two door handle mechanisms and an inner door knob. FIG.

FIG. 26 shows a variant of the latch device of FIG. 25. FIG.

FIG. 26A is a partially enlarged sectional view schematically showing the device of FIG. 26 viewed from the right; FIG.

FIG. 27 shows a door handle lever of the type shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, in which the operation of the instrument is automatically directed towards the unlocked handling coupling position even after the instrument is temporarily blocked by the operated door handle. Drawing explaining what goes on.

FIG. 28 shows another form of rotational coupling member for the device shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

FIG. 29 illustrates the use of an electric motor to operate a child safety device within a latch device of the type shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

30 illustrates an integrated electric door open and close, and central locking device using a common electric motor.

FIG. 31 illustrates the use of a rotary indexing and driving mechanism for three independent acting functions in a latch device.

32 shows a variant of the device of FIG. 31 for four independent actuation mechanisms.

FIG. 33 shows the independent action of locking and door opening, in particular the use of a rotating indexing and driving mechanism suitable for use in a trunk door or boot latch. FIG.

34 illustrates the use of a rotational indexing and driving mechanism to selectively drive two linear actuators such as those shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

FIG. 35 illustrates a form of resilient coupling executable between an actuation member and a rotation drive member available in the apparatus of FIG. 25.

36 shows an alternative in the form of an elastic coupling between the rotational drive member and the actuation member.

FIG. 37 shows an alternative elastic coupling suitable for use within the apparatus of FIG. 36. FIG.

FIG. 38 shows a form of alternative selective coupling between two actuators and a rotary indexing and driving mechanism.

FIG. 39 shows schematically a disk for converting the rotational movement of the key mechanism into the linear movement of two independent actuators such that the actuators reciprocate in the opposite direction.

FIG. 40 shows an alternative to the disk of FIG. 39 with the actuators reciprocating together in the same direction.

FIG. 41 is a side view of the disk of FIG. 39 together showing the end of the actuator. FIG.

FIG. 42 corresponds to FIG. 41 for the disk of FIG. 40;

FIG. 43 shows a portion of a key mechanism having a rotational output drive disk of the type shown in FIGS. 39 to 42.

FIG. 44 is a schematic illustration of the rotational output spindle of a cylindrical key mechanism with radial arms.

FIG. 44A illustrates one coupling form between the rotational output of the key mechanism of FIG. 44 for a pair of linear actuators to reciprocate in the same direction. FIG.

FIG. 44B shows the device corresponding to FIG. 44A but with the linear actuator moving in the opposite direction. FIG.

FIG. 44C shows an alternative form of rotational linear transducer for driving the linear actuator and rotational output drive of the key mechanism. FIG.

FIG. 45 illustrates a dual locking device for a key mechanism and an inner door knob suitable for use with any latch device described above with respect to other figures such as FIGS. 25 and 26.

FIG. 46 shows an actuation plate formed from a planar blank having end devices for connecting cables, and a method of forming such devices.

FIG. 47 shows a portion of a latch device of the type shown in another view having a single housing that can be disassembled without breaking.

FIG. 48 shows how a single key mechanism can be arranged to actuate two independent locking members in different parts of the vehicle.

Fig. 49 shows an electric drive clutch mechanism for the door opening and closing mechanism.

50 is a perspective view of a clutch operating lever of the clutch mechanism shown in FIG. 49;

Central locking vehicle

1 and 2 show a conventional device for locking vehicle doors and other closures. The latches L1 to L4 are bolted to each of the four passenger doors, the latch L5 is bolted to the trunk door (boot) and the latch L6 to the oil filling locking cap, respectively. The vehicle battery is connected to the central electronic control system 90, which is connected to the latch by an electrical cable (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, each door has an inner and outer handle, a generally cylindrical key mechanism, and an interior door knob, which unlocks the knob from the door frame. It is constrained to move linearly between an unlocking position and a locking position that only slightly protrudes from the door frame. The cylindrical bar-shaped striker is fixed vertically in the door frame. The door latch L1 is bolted to the door so that the latch bolt described in more detail below engages the striker to secure the door in the closed position. The door has an elastically deformable seal (not shown) that deforms as the door closes to the frame, and the door opens as soon as the striker is released with the latch bolt. However, in the absence of such a seal, the latch bolt is generally a spring biased to the open position to open the door.

The function of the latch L1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3, which also shows a vehicle battery connected to the central electronic control unit 90 by a central electronic control unit 90 and an electrical cable. Also shown is a striker 10 partially surrounded by an inlet of a latch bolt 11. In a conventional manner, a latching pawl 20 is engaged at the edge of the latch bolt to selectively latch the latch bolt fully or half. This latching pawl 20 is rotated under the control of several coupling members, each connected to an outer and inner handle, an inner door knob (provided), and a mechanical child safety lock controller (provided). The electric motor 70 has a central electronic control unit 90 according to the rotational position of the latch bolt 11 sensed by the position sensor and the switch in the latch L1 as described below with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. Is controlled by

This position sensing provides the information necessary to control most electrical functions associated with door locking, closing and opening, and is included in most latch devices, although not always specifically described in the following description.

The electric motor is controlled to actuate the latching pawl 20 to release the latch bolt for the electric door opening. It is also controlled to selectively engage the outer handle and knob to properly engage the latching pawl 20. However, in some arrangements, depending on design requirements and space utilization, separate electric motors are provided for this purpose.

The central electronic control circuit 90 is shown in FIG. 4 with an engine compartment catch (bonnet catch), as well as an electric motor shown as A for four door and trunk door and filler (gasoline) cap catches. In this embodiment, the inner lock is simply operated by the electrical switch R6, and an inner door knob may be provided, but the inner door knob is not necessary. The function of the control circuit need not be described in detail herein but is described in more detail in WO 97/28338.

The electrical control system will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. According to the invention, a mechanical position sensing using a microswitch is made, which changes the polarity of the power source to the motor in response to the body driven by the motor-in this case the reciprocating movement of the latch bolt 11. This mechanically responsive power source can be operated with electronic control via a relay switch to initiate the door opening, which will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the cam member 101 is arranged to pivot about the same axis 15 as the latch bolt 11, and the protrusion 140 that engages in the recess 141 of the latch bolt 11. Driven by). As shown in FIG. 5, the latch housing 100 has three parallel layers, which are defined by hinges on the shaft 15 for both the cam member 101 and the latch bolt 11. Rigidly interconnected. The cam member 101 is slidable up and down on its pivot axis and allows the cam driven microswitches 111, 121, 131 to follow the respective rectangular cam tracks C, B, A shown in FIG. 6. The cam member 101 is deflected upward by the helical spring 19 in FIG. 5 and downwardly as indicated by arrow 191 in FIG. 6. Three layers of microswitches 110, 120, 130 are rigidly connected to the latch housing 100, so that the corresponding microswitch actuators rise along each rectangular cam track.

The front face of the cam member 101 in contact with the microswitch layer is shown enlarged in FIG. 6. The bright portion of each cam track is the deepest portion, indicated by line 102 in FIG. 5, and the dark portion in FIG. 6, represents the shallow floor of the cam track, indicated by line 103 in FIG. 5. Each rectangular cam track is formed of a central wall as shown and a central wall 104, 105, 106. The pin-shaped microswitch actuators 111, 121 and 131 are circled in FIG. 6 at positions representing the movement of the actuators along the respective cam tracks. When the door is opened, the microswitch actuator is at the top right corner of the cam track shown in FIG. When the door starts to close, the relative position of the actuator moves in the direction shown by L to the position shown in Fig. 6 as A, B and C. In this position, the door is completely closed.

The structure H, which extends diagonally along the intermediate cam track B and is continuous with the end face of the intermediate wall 105, is fully integrated against the spring bias in the M direction as the latch bolt 11 moves toward the door open position. The cam device 101 is moved upward as shown in FIG. This is due to the sliding cam actuation of the pin 121 in step H. The continuous movement in the direction K returns the microswitch actuator to position F, where the spring force 191 returns the actuator to the upper right corner as shown in FIG. Go to N). The lamp E causes the cam actuator to settle into each microswitch, thereby switching the microswitch from the "off" state to the "on" state. The abrupt step H allows the microswitch actuator to pop out again, causing the microswitch to be "off".

Control of the motor will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, and alternative circuit arrangements are shown. In automobiles, each door is controlled by its own motor 70, and each door is equipped with a red warning light 80 to alert the motorist that the door is open. The vehicle is equipped with a central electronic control circuit 90 having a current sensor circuit 91 of a conventionally integrated type. The first micro switch 110 controls the switching of the door warning light 80. The second micro switch 120 provides power of one polarity to the motor as appropriate for door closing control. The third microswitch 130 supplies electric power of different polarity to the motor as appropriate for the door opening control. 5 and 6 ensure accurate sequencing of such microswitches. Using conventional notation, NO denotes a normally open terminal, NC denotes a normally closed terminal, and C denotes a common terminal. When the door is closed, the microswitch actuators are placed in positions A, B, and C of FIG. 6, and all microswitches are "off". Movement toward the open position causes movement of the microswitch actuator in the direction of arrow K in FIG. 6, and after a small amount of neutral movement, as the actuator 131 rises to the ramp E, the microswitch 130 is switched on. (switch on). This provides a power assisted door opening. At the same time as the door is opened, as the actuator 111 is raised to its own lamp, the door warning light control microswitch is activated. When the door has reached the end of the power assisted movement, the door open microswitch 130 is switched off and only the door warning light remains on. When the door is closed again, as the actuator 121 ascends to its own lamp from the line F of Fig. 6, the door closing control microswitch is switched on immediately. During the door closing, the warning light is switched off.

When the door is completely closed, as the actuator 121 steps down in line G of FIG. 6, the door closing control microswitch 120 is switched off.

The door opening is preferably initiated under central electronic control, which is provided by the relay switch 140 of FIG. 8. The signal from the central electronic control circuit 90 along the line 150 switches on the relay 140 to power the motor and moves the mechanical device to the point where the third microswitch 130 is switched on. It stays on for a sufficient period to make it work. The relay switch is then switched off or timed out.

There is no need to describe in detail the starting current sensor circuitry 91. In this embodiment, this is a circuit breaker that provides current protection and can be reset manually at trip. The current sense of the drive motor current is made in the ground carrier path, the current sense is affected by the resistor, and the voltage is amplified by an appropriate integrated differential amplifier. The second amplifier measures the voltage difference between the reference voltage value and the resistance value provided by the temperature stable diode. The second differential amplifier acts as a comparator, provides a logic level converter, and outputs a start signal.

Remote control transmitters are typically provided for controlling the central locking system, for example for locking or unlocking the car from the outside. The same commands as the central control system are used by the remote control to open the door or a specific door. However, the same type of remote control can be applied in accordance with one of the inventions to actuate the electric child safety lock.

The central electronic control circuit preferably receives an input from the sensors, some of which are located inside the latch to measure the position of the latching pole, latch bolt and pole actuator, or any other component of the latch device. Some other sensors are preferably located elsewhere inside the vehicle, for example to monitor the condition of the vehicle engine. For example, when the engine is started and the vehicle is in operation, the current for activating the drive motor may be cut off by the central electronic control circuit 90. This ensures safety against accidental opening of the electric door. As another example, if the door is not activated and the motor drive is stopped, the current sensor circuit 91 may detect that it is in a certain advantageous state, for example, manually releasing the door handle and moving the door to an arbitrary position. Until it sends a message to the central electronic control circuit 90 which cuts off the current which activates the motor.

The above-mentioned special apparatus in the motor vehicle provides a cost reduction effect. By integrating the switch in the latch housing, the length of the wiring is minimized. In fact, in order to connect the door latch to the central control circuit, it is possible to reduce the length of wiring required with the two wires shown in FIG. 7 or the four wires 150, 151, 152 shown in FIG. 8. By integrating the door warning light and the door latch, for example by having a simple plug-in lamp, the wiring and assembly costs are minimized. The integrated device of the door closing and opening microswitches arranged in the same floor is the most efficient device and minimizes wiring.

Electric door open and / or closed

The operation of the latch bolt and latching pawl 20 associated with the movement of the door will be described below with reference to FIGS. 19-21 and the above-mentioned published patent specification.

As shown in FIG. 9, the closure latch bolt 11 surrounding the striker 10 is provided with notches 13, 14 for a full latch and half latch stop of the latching pawl 20. The latch bolt 11 is a spring biased clockwise with respect to the open position, and the latching pawl 20 is a spring biased counterclockwise with respect to the latching position at which the latch bolt is latched. The electric motor 70 has a rotational output with crown and bevel gearing coupled to a rotational output driver 50 arranged to rotate in the direction D1 and thus has an eccentrically arranged protrusion pin ( 30 contacts the latching pawl 20 to move the latching pawl 20 in the direction D2 to the unlatching position. As it continues to rotate in the direction D1, the protruding pins 30 allow the latching pawl 20 to elastically recover in the direction D5 to latch the latch bolt once again after the door is closed.

The protruding pins 30 are in their original neutral position N _P , as shown in FIG. 9, by the force of the latching pawl 20 returning to its latching position, or else under the reverse drive of the electric motor 70. Return to. At this time, in the neutral position, it waits for the next door opening operation.

Obviously, alternative output drive couplings are available, for example screw gears or spur gears. Also, the protruding pins 30 may be replaced with any type of cam device that contacts the latching pawl 20.

In such a device, when the latching pawl 20 moves to the unlatching position by the force of the elastically deformed door seal, the door is opened. The spring deflection of the latch bolt 11 also contributes to the opening of the door.

An alternative form of the door opening device is shown in FIG. 10. The output drive of the electric motor 70 takes the form of a rack and pinion device 31 which generates a linear drive in the direction D1, with part of the rack abutting against the latching pawl 20. If it is electrically sensed that the latch bolt has moved to the fully unlatched position, the electric motor is switched off or powered in the reverse direction such that the rack 31 returns to the neutral position as shown in FIG. 10. When switched off, the rack remains in the door open position until the door is closed. Blocking of the door causes the latching pawl 20 to be rotated to the latched position and at the same time the rack is driven back to the neutral position. This is aided by the spring deflection of the latching pawl 20.

Of course, the position detection of the latch bolt also applies to the apparatus of FIG. 9 for switching off or reverse powering of the electric motor.

9 and 10 are suitable for vehicle side doors. The trunk door and boot latch bolt differ from that shown in that they normally have only one notch 13 to fully latch the latch bolt. In addition, several alternative gear arrangements may also be used.

The latch device shown in FIG. 11 provides an electric door opening as well as a motorized door closing. Thus, the latch device is an opening and closing mechanism driven by the same electric motor 70. The electric motor selectively drives the rotary indexing and driving member 50 in the direction D1 or direction D4. The neutral position Np shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the position where the pin 34 is free from the door latch 11. The rotary indexing and driving member 50 is rotationally deflected toward the neutral position by a torsion spring 36 coaxially mounted therewith, and restrained by a bar 35 fixed to the latch housing. Torsion spring 36 has two limbs 33a, 33b that engage opposite sides of protruding pin 34. Thus, when the rotary indexing and driving member 50 is driven clockwise in the direction D1, the protruding pin 34 drives the rim 33a of the spring, thereby neutralizing the rotary indexing and driving member 50. Rotate in the opposite direction of the position. As a result, the counterclockwise motion D4 causes the pin 34 to move the rim 33b of the spring, which returns the rotational indexing and driving member 50 again.

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In this embodiment, the release or unlatching of the latching pawl 20 is made indirectly through an actuation plate 38 pivotally connected to the latching pawl 20 at 40. 38 is connected to the rotary indexing and driving member 50 by an arcuate slot 39 and a protruding pin 32 of the rotary indexing and driving member 50. The arcuate slot 39 of the actuation plate 38 is concentric with the rotary indexing and driving member 50, and the rotary indexing and driving member 50 is about 70 ° clockwise D1 so that the door closes undisturbed. It has a function to allow relative rotation.

The extension arm 37 of the latch bolt 11 protrudes above the rotational indexing and driving member 50 to selectively engage the pin 34. To close the door, the pin 34 is driven in a clockwise direction D1 to a position A where the latch bolt 11 reaches by the door being partially closed manually. The complete closing of the door is achieved by the pin 34 abutting the extension 37 and driving the extension 37 in the direction D3 to the full latching position B. When the complete latching of the latch bolt 11 is detected electrically, the motor is switched off and the rotational indexing and driving member 50 is returned to the neutral position Np by the spring 36.

To electrically open the door, when the motor drives the pin 34 counterclockwise (D4), the protruding pin 32 immediately pulls the end of the slot 39, whereby the latching pawl 20 is directed. Pulled in D5 to unlatch in the direction D6. Then as the door moves away from the frame in direction D8, the latch bolt is pressed in direction D7 and unlatched. If it is electrically sensed that the latch bolt has reached the full unlatching position, the motor is switched off and the rotary indexing and driving member 50 is elastically restored to the neutral position Np.

As the electrical position sensor is properly positioned in the latch, for example, when the latching pawl 20 is operated in the unlatching position, it is prevented from falling to the half latching position in the notch 14.

This configuration can be accommodated in a single housing that is compact and simple to manufacture, and can improve sound insulation and reduce manufacturing costs.

The latch configuration of FIG. 12 differs from that of FIG. 11 in opening and closing the door. In this embodiment, the actuation plate 41 which replaces the actuation plate 38 is configured to slide over the pivot axis 43 of the rotational indexing and driving member 50, and guides over the pivot axis 43. Equipped with 45. The actuation plate 41 is provided with an end flange 44A suspended downward to engage the pin 34 of the rotational indexing and driving member 50. The actuation plate 41 can slide between a position C and a position C1 respectively corresponding to the latching position and the unlatching position of the latching pawl 20.

Door closing occurs by rotating pin 34 clockwise D3 to move in position A to position A1 in contact with latch bolt extension 37. After slightly overtraveling over the point A1, the cam pin 34 is released from the latch bolt, while rotating in the direction D3 toward the second neutral position Np2. Thus, the first neutral position Np1 is located just before the cam pin 34 contacts the latch bolt extension 37. The second neutral position Np2 is located immediately after the point A1, but before being able to abut the flange 44A. When released from the latch bolt, after the motor is switched off under the control of an appropriate electrical position sensor (not shown), the cam pin 34 is moved to the second neutral position Np2 by means of elastic deformation such as a spring (not shown). Stop at). The motor may also be stopped in the second neutral position by the controlled driving force of the motor in the opposite direction.

To electrically open the door, the motor drives the cam pin 34 from the neutral position 34B to the point 34C in the direction D3, at which point the cam pin 34 is actuated by an actuating plate ( 41 contacts it and moves it to point C1, at which point the flange reaches position 44B in direction D7. This rotates the latching pawl 20 in the direction D4 to rotate the latch bolt in the direction D5 and at the same time moves it to the full unlatching position away from the striker away from the direction D6. The cam pin 34 continues to move in the same direction until the first neutral position Np1.

In either neutral position, the latch bolt and latching pawl 20 are completely released to allow manual operation in a conventional manner between the latching and unlatching positions. Thus, conventional mechanical operation is only interrupted while the door is electrically opened and closed. This provides a complete mechanical aid as a safety measure against electrical dysfunction.

Compared with the configuration of FIG. 11, the rotation indexing and driving member 50 rotates in a single direction even if it is stationary or driven partially in the opposite direction by electrical backdrive.

The configuration of FIG. 12 has the advantages of miniaturization and sound insulation associated with the configuration of FIG.

The variant shown in FIG. 13 enables the electrical door closing and opening using the same electric drive motor 70. In this embodiment, the rotational output drive in the rotary indexing and driving member 50 is converted into linear motion by the rack and pinion gears. The rack 56 is integrally formed with a shuttle having an end contact surface 55 that engages the latch bolt extension 37. At the other end, the rack is connected at point 57 to a coil spring 58 mounted on the frame 59 of the latch housing for compression and tension. The spring serves to return the shuttle to the neutral position Np, and also absorbs shock and reduces noise.

Shuttle 56 is operatively connected to actuator plate 52 by pins 54 fitted in slots 53 to drive the latch bolts to close the door without disturbing the shuttle. Actuator plate 52 is pivotally connected to latching pawl 20 at point 51.

In the configuration of FIGS. 11 and 12, the electric drive mechanism is isolated from normal mechanical latch operation, whereby the door handle operates the latching pawl 20 when the latching pawl 20 is in the neutral position.

Thus, to open the door, the shuttle 56 is driven from the neutral position to the final position P1 in the direction D3, after which the electric motor is switched off and the shuttle is returned to the neutral position. The opening of the electric door is achieved by driving the shuttle from the neutral position to the second final position in the opposite direction D5, where the shuttle pulls the actuator plate 52 and releases the latching pawl 20.

This configuration uses a drive motor with a small potential due to the larger gear ratio.

14 shows another variant of the opening and closing mechanism of the door. Instead of the rack and pinion configuration, the linear shuttle 71 is driven in the linear direction in either direction D1 or direction D2 by the cam pin 34 of the rotary indexing and driving member 50. The cam pin 34 is driven against the cam 74 fixed to the shuttle 71 to effectively perform rotational indexing and rotation of the driving member 50 beyond the limited angular range or phase, such as a rotation of 40 °. Do it. Again, the shuttle 71 is biased towards the neutral position by a tension-compression spring 72 mounted to the frame 73. To move the latch bolt extension 37 from position A to position B, the shuttle has an end 78 which is in driving contact with the latch bolt extension 37. For the opening of the electrical door, an actuator plate 77 corresponding to the actuator plate 52 is provided for connecting the shuttle 71 with the latching pawl 20. In the configuration of FIG. 13, the pin 75 on the shuttle slides in a groove 76 of the actuator plate 77.

The configuration of Figure 14 has the advantage of excellent applicability, and allows the drive gear to move easily to the neutral position if the electrical operation is interrupted too quickly.

15 shows an alternative configuration for opening the electrical door. In this embodiment, the shuttle 83, again constrained to move linearly, is driven from the electric motor 70 by a lead screw gear in the form of a screw 81 and a female threaded nut 82. The lead screw 81 is driven by the bevel gear 80 from the rotational output drive. Once again, the shuttle is spring biased to a neutral position by the tension-compression spring 86. The slot 84, which is connected with the pin 85 of the latching pawl 20, is released as previously to allow the opening of an independent mechanical door. Although the configuration of this embodiment can be combined with, for example, the door closing configuration shown in Figs. 12 and 13, there is no mechanism for door closing. This configuration is simple and provides only one neutral position A and one operating position B of the shuttle 83.

This configuration has the added advantage of being able to mechanically open and close the door completely independent of the electrical configuration at all stages of the electrical door opening. In addition, it is possible to use a relatively small motor due to the high gear ratio, has the advantage of excellent applicability and simple configuration. As before, the compression-tension spring provides an anti-backlash configuration that reduces noise by absorbing the inertia of the mechanism after the motor is switched off, which also extends the life of the drive mechanism.

16 shows another modification of the opening and closing mechanism of the door. In this embodiment, shuttle 95 is linearly driven by leadscrew 96 between two spaced tension springs 97 and 98 mounted on leadscrew 96 between fixed brackets 99 and 200. do. The lead screw is driven by the bevel gear 80 driven by the motor 70. The actuation plate 91 is in turn connected to the shuttle 95 by a pin 92 that slides in the slot 94 and has a neutral position 93B, a position A, a lower position 93C, and a latching pawl. A contact surface is provided at the end 93A of the shuttle 95 which moves between this unlatched position C and the upper maximum position 93A and the position B where the latch bolt is fully closed.

Preferably, the nut 95 and screw 96 integrally formed with the shuttle have meshing teeth cut at 45 ° with respect to the axis of rotation of the lead screw 96, whereby the shuttle is provided with a lead screw. Can be driven forward and reverse. The means for constraining the nut 95 to move linearly may have a suitable shape, such as grooves and rails (not shown) fixed or integrally formed in a latch housing (not shown).

The springs 97 and 98 may be replaced with a single spring that can be used as a compression or tension spring connected to the nut 95. It may also be a torsion spring connected to the drive gear.

In the previous arrangement, electrical position sensing is applied to adjust the driving force of the electric motor. The current sensor may be combined with the control electronics as an indicator of whether or not the latch bolt has reached the latching position because the current rises only when it has passed the latching position. In addition, the polarity of the electrical drive may be temporarily reversed to react with the inertia of the moving element.

This configuration has advantages that correspond to the advantages of the configuration of FIGS. 14 and 15.

9-16, a clutch mechanism may be provided to the rotational output drive of the electric motor 70. Ordinary centrifugal clutches are preferred. This eliminates the induced current generated in the motor when driven by a mechanical element. It also helps to reduce the load on the return spring used to retract the instrument to the neutral position after motor operation.

17 illustrates another variation of the electrical door open and close latch configuration described above. In this embodiment, the actuation plate 202 is pivotally connected at the latching pawl 20 and the point 203 near the point at which the latch bolt 11 is engaged. Thus, it operates in the opposite direction when there is no lever action. This actuation plate 202 is limited to rotate about the pivot axis of the rotary indexing and driving member 50 or is linear in the direction of operation D4 by an end fork with projections 205 and 206 on either side of the pivot axis. Are limited to move.

In this embodiment, the cam pin 34 is replaced by a radial cam configuration integrally formed with the rotational indexing and driving member 50 and arranged in two independent planes perpendicular to the pivot axis. In the first plane, the radial cam 207 is optionally arranged to drive in contact with the latch bolt extension 37. In the independent plane, the radial cams 209 and 208 spaced up to approximately 100 ° each have a deflecting lug 204 of the actuation plate 202 for the door opening and a W-shaped leaf spring fixed to the latch housing. ) Respectively. The W-shaped leaf spring 210 acts as a shock absorber for the cam 208 when the cam 208 rises above the protrusion and centers the cam 208. The spring 210 prevents backlash as well as positioning the configuration in the illustrated neutral position.

To close the door, the rotary indexing and driving member 50 is driven in the direction D1, ie clockwise, to drive the cam 207 against the latch bolt extension 37 as described above. To electrically open the door, the rotary indexing and driving member 50 is also driven from the neutral position in the direction D1 to engage with the protrusion 204, whereby the actuation plate 202 unlatches the latching pawl. Is driven in the direction D4.

If the electrical operation must be stopped for any reason, for this purpose the drive gear is retracted to a neutral position by a sliding spring (not shown) connected to the drive gear. This ensures complete mechanical assistance in the event of electrical malfunction.

FIG. 18 uses one electric motor 70 and one rotary indexing and driving member 50 to independently control the opening and closing mechanism of the door on the one hand and the electrical locking on the other hand independently. The latch configuration is shown. The opening and closing mechanism of the door includes a shuttle 215 that is constrained to move linearly and connected to the tension-compression spring 218 as described with reference to FIG. 14. The rotary indexing and driving member 50 has a single cam pin 34 which is rotatable in either direction D1 or D2 between two neutral positions Np1, Np2, which is a W-shaped fixed spring in this neutral position. Held by 220 and 219, respectively. Actuation member 222 is limited to move linearly in either direction D11 or D12 between positions C1 and C2, the end of which has a toggle lever 221 to engage with cam pin 34. . The toggle lever 221 may have a form described below with reference to FIG. 35. The toggle lever is pivotally mounted at the end of the actuation member 222 and is biased by the torsion spring 223 to a neutral position perpendicular to the length of the actuation member. In such a configuration, the actuation member 222 is driven in the direction D11 and then releases the actuation member 222 and the cam pin 34 can continue to rotate when elastically deformed against spring torsion. The cam pin 34 is in driving contact with the toggle lever 221. In this embodiment, the actuation member can be driven in either direction by the cam pin 34.

In the W-shaped spring of FIG. 17, the springs 219 and 220 act to absorb a rotational impact when the pin rises against the outer protrusion of the spring from either direction. The cam pin then moves to be fixed between the two outer protrusions of the pin within the central reset. This prevents accidental overtravel.

The locking and unlocking of the electric door using the actuation member 222 is described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 24, 26, and 30-38. Briefly, the actuation member 222 interacts with the key mechanism and optionally locks or unlocks the latching pawl 20 to prevent or allow the action of the door handle or the like to be transmitted to the latching pawl.

18A shows a variant of the door opening mechanism of FIG. 10 providing electrical locking and unlocking under the control of the same electric motor 70. In this embodiment, the rack and pinion device integrally formed with the linear shuttle drives the latching pawl 20 by the contact surface 231. The latching pawl 20 has an extension lever 232 driven by the contact surface 231 or by a cable or other link to a latch locking mechanism (not shown). Tension-compression spring 235 again deflects the shuttle towards neutral position (N).

For electrical locking, the notch 234 in the shuttle selectively engages the end 1814 of the lever 1810 pivoted at its central portion 1812, as shown by the torsion spring 1813 on the pivot line 1812. The spring is biased towards the central position. Opposite protrusion 1811 is engaged with a notch of actuation member 300 that can move in either direction D7 for locking and unlocking the latch.

FIG. 18B shows another device for opening and closing a door similar to the configuration described below with reference to FIG. 33. Rotation indexing and driving member 50 acts directly on latching pawl 20 and latch bolt extension 37 with extension arm 20A. The cam pin 30 is biased to the neutral position N by a spring 1802 located around the fixed lock 1801.

The closing of the door is carried out by driving the cam pin 30 against the extension 37 from position A towards position B, after which the cam pin is retracted to the neutral position N by a spring. As the motor drives in the opposite direction, the cam pin 30 drives in the direction D2 to contact against the latching pawl 20 to release the latch bolt. Again, the cam pin 30 can be returned to the neutral position either electrically or by a return spring.

The latching pawl 20 can optionally be released manually via the lever 246 and the cable 245 by external actuating means such as a handle.

In this embodiment, the distal end 20A of the latching pawl 20 is raised by bending to assist the latch bolt extension 37.

This special device reduces drive torque and makes it adaptable.

Door closing and / or opening under electric power

The apparatus of FIGS. 19-21 provides for the electric door opening, first of which the latching pawl is released and is electrically powered to ensure that the latch bolt is fully open. The device also provides a powered door closure, as described above.

First, referring to FIGS. 19 to 21, the vehicle door closer device includes a striker 10 connected to a door frame of a vehicle and a latch bolt 11 forming a part of a latch device supported at an edge of the vehicle door. Include. In the present invention, the shape of the latch bolt 11 in Fig. 19 is special, but its general operation is conventional and need not be described in more detail herein. The latch bolt 11 is pivotally installed at point 15 to make a rotational movement as shown by arrow 18 and the striker 10 in the U-shaped notch 12 formed in the latch bolt 11. Is driven by the relative motion 17 of. The latch bolt 11 has two other notches 13, 14 for engaging with the latching pawl 20 at its outer periphery. The notch 13 acts to lock the latch bolt in the latching rotational position, holding the striker 10 and keeping the vehicle door closed. The striker 10 cams the teeth 12 until the latching pawl 20 is released from the locking position in the notch 13 and can no longer be forced by the striker 10. By being able to drive the latch bolt 11 clockwise 18 under action, the door can be opened to the right in FIG. However, if the latching pawl 20 is engaged with another notch 14 in the so-called half latching position, the door can be half latched and partially open.

The latching pawl 20 is pivotally installed at the point 21 and both the pivot points 15, 21 are fixed to the latch housing (not shown). The latching pawl 20 has an end tooth 24 for locking engagement in the notches 13, 14. On the pin 23 formed at the same end, a link arm 25 connected to the door handle is pivotally installed to operate the latching pawl. As the door handle is lifted, the link arm 25 moves in the direction shown by arrow 26 and the latching pawl is unlocked by pulling the latching pawl 20 counterclockwise as shown by arrow 22. Allows movement to a location (not shown).

According to the invention, the latch bolt 11 is operatively connected to an electric drive motor 70 of the type commonly used for central locking of a vehicle door. This coupling device will be described in more detail later, but is combined with a device for releasing the latching pawl.

The motor 70 is connected to the latch bolt 11 by gears 40, 50, 60. As shown in a separate state in FIG. 20, the gear 40 is engaged at the point 45 with the tooth 16 on the latch bolt 11. The gear 40 is installed to rotate around the shaft 42, which is shared by the larger diameter gear 50, as shown in a separate state in FIG. 21. In one of the plates of the gear 50, the gear 50 is operatively connected to the gear 40 by a pair of slots 52, 53 with a rotational freedom of 60 °, through which the gear 40 is connected. A pair of drive pins 44, 43 connected to the protrusion protrude. In this embodiment, 60 degrees of freedom is important for latching pole release and proper sequencing of latch bolt drive.

The rotational movement of the gear 50 in the direction shown by the arrow 41 is controlled by the direct engagement of the gears with the spindle of the motor 70. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, this coupling is achieved by the combination of the gear 71 on the motor spindle and the tooth 62 on the crown gear 60, the gear 60 being the tooth on the gear 60. It is connected to a small diameter gear 61 which drives 54. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the worm gear 72 is driven directly by the motor spindle and directly drives the gear 50.

One region of the gear 50 is provided with a U-shaped tooth 51 which cams on a protrusion 33 protruding from the hook 32 at the end of the pole actuator 30. The pole actuator 30 is placed on a latch housing (not shown) such that it is generally reciprocated in the direction as shown by the arrow 34 of FIG. 19 to be mechanically linked with the pin 23 of the latching pawl 20. Bound by structure. The upper end of the pole actuator 30 is formed as a dog leg with a slotted extension surrounding the pin 23. This device provides a degree of freedom in the drive connection between the pole actuator 30 and the latching pawl 20.

The operation of the door latch operated by power will be described below. It can be seen that the door latch can be operated mechanically, without motor power or by motor power. Of course, this is an important safety feature.

Power operation is explained first. As shown in FIG. 9, when the door is in the closed position, the latch bolt 11 is in the latching position and the latching pawl 20 is in the locking position. The pole actuator 30 meshes with the gear 50. Upon receiving a command from the central electronic control circuit 90 to open the door, the motor 70 drives the gear 50 counterclockwise as indicated by arrow 41. In the first 60 ° rotation, gear 40 remains stationary and does not attempt to rotate latch bolt 11. Otherwise, latch and latching pawl 20 can fail. As soon as the toothed portion 51 pushes the pole actuator 30 in the direction of the arrow 34, the pole actuator 30 pushes the pin 23 and latches the pole 20 as shown by the arrow 22. Is driven counterclockwise to move to the unlocked position. Continuous rotation of the gear 50 causes the extension 33 of the pole actuator 30 to come out so that it rests on the outer periphery of the gear and temporarily prevents reentry. By continuous rotation past the first 60 °, the walls of the slots 52, 53 are engaged with the pins 44, 43 of the small gear 40 and drive the latch bolt 11 in the direction shown by the arrow 18. Let's do it. By manipulating the power in this way, half latching is significantly prevented. Thus, the latch bolt rotates so that the notch 14 passes over the tooth 24 and prevents reentry of the latching pawl 20 until the outer surface of the latch bolt 11 is engaged with the tooth 24. .

The electronic position sensor described below causes the motor drive to be switched off at the point where the vehicle door partially opens and exits the unlatching position. The door is then fully opened by the passenger or driver.

Driving the latch bolt 11 clockwise has an effective effect of pushing the door open by acting on the striker 10. This accelerates the opening movement of the door, and this opening movement continues until it is decelerated by the friction of the door hinge by an amount depending on the inclination of the vehicle.

When the door is closed, the door is brought to the same position just beyond the half latching position, and then the electric motor is switched on with the opposite polarity (as described below). The motor then provides a power closed door and ensures that the door is properly closed and latched. Again, half latching position by power assisted closing is not possible. As the door starts to close completely, the counterclockwise rotation of the latch bolt 11 involves the clockwise rotation of the small gear 40 together with the large gear 50. After this first rotational phase, the extension 33 of the pole actuator 30 backs down. The degree of freedom between the pole actuator and the latching pawl 20 causes the latching pawl 20 to be loaded over the slot 14 over the slot 13 under a spring bias (not shown) without jamming. As the tooth 24 is coupled to the slot 13, the device returns to the position shown in FIG. 19.

Without the aid of power, the latch can be controlled by the door handle through the link arm 25. Mechanical interaction is maintained, and opening and closing the door causes the motor spindle to rotate, but this simply provides a small amount of mechanical resistance. Lifting the link arm 25 releases the latching pawl and causes the door to open to allow the latch bolt 11 to rotate clockwise by the striker 10. Again, the pole actuator 30 is released from engagement with the gear 50 until the door is closed again. It can also be seen that since the mechanical order is the same, the closing by the power can be followed by the opening by the power or vice versa. When the latch is purely mechanically actuated, the tooth 24 of the latching pawl 20 is positioned in the notch 14 so that the latch can be inserted in a half latching position. This provides additional convenience and stability.

A variant of the device of FIGS. 10 and 18A that enhances door opening and closing is shown in FIG. 22. Apparently, the contact surface 231 on the shuttle 233 drives the latching pawl 20 through the extension arm 232 to move to position 232A. It continues to move in the same direction to drive the latch bolt extension 37 to the unlatching position 37A. In connection with the apparatus of FIG. 18A, notch 234 engages link lever 1810 (FIG. 18A) for electrical locking and unlocking.

An electrical opening device particularly suitable for boot or trunk door latches is shown in FIG. 23. The rotational output driver 50 of the motor 70 is rigidly connected to a leadscrew 240, which is inserted into the nut portion 243 and has a shuttle having an internal bore to receive the leadscrew 240. Induce a linear reciprocation of block 242. The end contact surface of the shuttle 242 is driven in contact with the latching pawl 20 to open the door. In connection with other devices, the portion 244 of the latching pawl 20 is connected by means of a link 245 via an lever 246 to an external manual control such as a handle, such as a key device, an internal door knob or an electrical control (not shown). Can be opened if the latch is unlocked first. After the nut 243 and the shuttle are actuated, respectively, a return spring acting on the nut, a return nut acting on the latching pawl 20, and means for re-powering the motor to move the nut in the direction D6. It is returned to the neutral position as shown by at least one or more devices. The nut 243 is forced to move linearly by suitable means, such as a rail fixed to the housing.

In another arrangement, the lead screw 240 engages with an internal thread in the rotary drive gear 50 and the lead screw is integrally formed with the shuttle 242. Other mechanically equivalent configurations are achievable by those skilled in the art.

A compact door latch device is shown in FIG. The housing 250 is in the form of a flat rectangular box with rounded corners and a U-shaped opening for receiving the striker 10. The housing includes end plates 252 and side walls 251 which are opposed to each other, which form an inner partition 253 housing the electric motor 70 and the rotational output gear 50. Cables 256 and 258 for controlling the respective levers 255 and 257 protrude through the side walls and are connected to the levers by nipples held in the end formations. Preferred special connections will be described below in connection with FIG. 46.

The miniaturization of the device is particularly important so that multiple parts, including the latching pawl 20, are all installed on the same pivot axis 21. This latch device provides electrical locking and unlocking.

The latching pawl 20 is provided with a lever arm in which a fork 259 is formed to be able to be driven in rotation. The pawl release lever 255 is pivotally connected on the pawl shaft 21 to act by an external manual control such as an internal or external door handle. The rotational movement of the pawl release lever 255 is transmitted to the pole fork 259 only by the rotary coupling members 300, 400, with the slave long lug 262 disposed parallel to the pivot axis. Has The clockwise action of the pawl release lever causes end notch 263 to engage lug 262, which is driven against fork 259. This leads the pawl 20 to the latched position and the door can be opened.

The rotary coupling members 300, 400 comprise two parts pivotally connected to the pivot axis 21, which parts slide perpendicularly to the pivot axis by elliptical slots formed in both parts 300, 400. can do. The locking member 300 is in the extreme position as shown in FIG. 24 where the door is unlocked, and because the pawl release lever 225 is no longer connected to the latching pawl 20, i.e., it is neutral. The door is forced to move linearly between the rightmost positions where it is locked. Rotating slide member 400 has an arcuate slot that rests on pin 301 on locking member 300 and is integrally formed with subordinate lug 262. When connected by lugs 262, this slot is sufficient to allow the rotating slide member to rotate with pawl release lever 255. When the locking member 300 is moved to the right to the locking position which keeps the pawl release lever in the neutral position, the locking member is moved with the lug 262 so that it can no longer be engaged by the notch 263 of the pawl release lever. There will be no.

Rotational coupling members 300, 400 are selectively driven by output disk 500 with eccentric pins driven by bevel gear 50 of motor 70. The pin drives the locking member 300 through the notch or other formation 302. Such a coupling device will be described in more detail in various other forms with respect to FIGS. 25, 26, 35-38.

Mechanical locking and unlocking are for example achieved by lever 257 from a key device or an inner door knob. This drives the locking member 300 and pressurizes the electric motor drive when no power is applied. Thus, the latch device provides independent mechanical and electrical locking and unlocking.

The member 254, with only a portion of it shown, is also operatively coupled with a portion of the locking member 300 for locking and unlocking.

Rotating sliding member 400 with lug 262 permanently connected to fork 259 of latching pawl 20 is a boss or elongated block protruding from the housing as long as it is in rotation. 260 to prevent movement between the locking and unlocking positions. When fork 259 rests on boss 260, lug 262 cannot move radially of pivot axis 21 past boss 260.

Anti-slam Locking

Boss 260 also has the desired function of providing anti slam locking of the latch. Due to the radial engagement of the boss 260 and the lug 262, by preventing the sliding movement of the locking member 300, the door handle remains open and the boss 260 with the latching pawl 20 in the unlatching position. Prevents inadvertent locking of the door. Thus, if the door is tightly closed after the door latch is unlocked, it cannot be inadvertently locked because the rotary coupling members 300, 400 are retained in the housing.

Even in the absence of such a locking device with a boss 260, the latch device may have a configuration for anti-slam locking. In the configuration shown in FIG. 24 and also in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the locking position of the locking member 300 is located on the right side from the striker 10. The latch bolt is oriented so that the door closes in the left direction. Thus, if the latch is unlocked before the door is closed, the locking member 300 will be completely to the left and the impact upon slam of the door will not affect the position. However, if the door is slammed after the door is locked, the locking member 300 is forced under this impact, and the movement continues to the left to the unlocked position, and may return to the locked position, but in any case There is no inadvertent movement from the locking position. Accordingly, the orientation of the latch bolt and the path of the coupling member 300 allow the locking position to be substantially further from the striker 10 than the unlocking position of the coupling member 300 in use.

Optional electric locking

Two other latch arrangements for electrical locking and unlocking will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. Each device has two pole release levers 700 and 800 for connection with external manual controls such as internal and external handles, each of which generally has a pole release lever 255 as described above with reference to FIG. 24. Corresponds to. Each pawl release lever is selectively connected to the latching pawl 20 by self-rotating coupling members 300, 400 and 350, 450. Each rotary coupling member includes locking members 300 and 350 connected to rotary slide members 400 and 450, respectively, which slide function has a similar function as the counterparts described above with respect to FIG. They are all arranged around a common pivot axis 21 to provide maximum miniaturization and simplification, and allow the pole release lever to perform a sufficient lever on the pawl received in the housing.

In addition, depending on whether the device is used in the rear door or the front door, each latch device has an additional lever 900 connected to the external control device via a cable 901, such as an infant safety switch or an inner door knob. have. This additional lever 900 has a pivot point 902 in the housing and is connected to a lever arm with an end pin 903 connected to one of the rotational coupling members.

In the apparatus of FIG. 25, the locking members 300 and 350 are provided with respective protruding pins 304 and 354 that engage the cam pins 501 on the rotational indexing and driving member 500. In FIG. 25, the locking members are driven independently in opposite directions, whereas in the apparatus of FIG. 26 they may be driven independently independently, but they may be driven together to reciprocate in directions D7 and D8. The latch device of FIGS. 25 and 26 is flexible enough to be used for infant safety locking and / or emergency door opening, and allows selective engagement with one or both of the outer door handles. They can also be integrated with the electric locking device and controlled by the same electric motor or other motors.

In the case of FIG. 25, for example, when used in a front door, the outer door handle may be connected to the pole release lever 700 via a cable 701 and may be locked by an inner door knob through the lever 900. . The inner handle can drive the lever 800. However, in the rear door, the connection with the door handle is reversed and the lever 900 can be used in duplicate or as a mechanical infant stable lever.

The apparatus of FIG. 25 operates as follows. Rotational coupling members 300 and 400 drive lugs 410 and 420 between the leftmost and rightmost positions as shown, where lug 420 is released from notch 803 and lug 410 is Freed from notch 453. Lug 420 is permanently coupled to the inlet jaw of fork 259 on latching pawl 20.

The rotary coupling members 350 and 450 have lugs 451 on the left side that can be driven clockwise by the notches 702 on the pole release lever 700. As described above, it is pivotally coupled to the lever 900 via a pin 903. Rotating sliding member 450 is formed with a notch 405 that can be driven clockwise by lug 802 on pawl release lever 800. This rotating slide member 450 is also formed with a notch 453, which drives the lug 410 of the other rotating slide member 400 when in the leftmost position.

Thus, actuation of lever 700 drives latching pawl 20 through lugs 451 and 420 only in the position shown. When the rotary sliding member 450 is moved to the left, the lug 451 is no longer engaged with the notch 702 and the lever 700 is neutral.

Operation of the lever 800 through the notch 803 directly drives the lug 420 only when the rotary sliding member 400 is in the leftmost position of the member as shown. This in turn drives the latching pawl 20.

When the rotary coupling members 350, 450 are in the leftmost position of neutral (not shown) to neutralize the lever 700, the rotary coupling members act on the lugs (452) acting on the notches 452 of the rotary slide member 450. Operation of another release lever 800 with 802 automatically returns to the coupling position as shown. Thus, for example, if the outer door handle operates on a door latch in which the inner door handle is neutralized by the child safety lever, subsequent operation of the inner door handle causes the door to open. That is, the operation of the outer handle assists the child safety function. Similarly, such a device provides a panic override of door locking so that the lever 800 can lift the inner door knob coupled to the lever 800 when the inner front door handle is actuated.

The device of FIG. 26 operates similarly to the device of FIG. 25 except that the two pivoting sliding members 400 and 450 interact with the pole fork on the right side of the device. Corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Figure 26a schematically shows the right side of the device.

Since the selective operation of the inner door handle is electrically controlled from the electronic central control unit, the device does not need a mechanical child-safe lever. Using the outer door handle as a mechanical aid opens the inner handle, which is useful for police cars as well as for infant safety.

The device can be double locked by placing the inner door knob connected to the lever 900 in neutral in FIG. 25. Thus, a single electric motor can control infant safety control and dual locking, optional locking of the inner and outer handles. Electrical infant stable locking is possible by selective independent control of the inner door handle without any separate mechanical device.

Conventional door latches require multiple mechanical units for double locking, sometimes using two motors.

Continuation of the locking and unlocking function after temporary interruption by mechanical door handle operation

delete

The pole release lever 700 of FIGS. 25 and 26 is shown in the neutral position 700A, and its full operating position 700B is shown in FIG. 27. In operation, the lug 420 of the corresponding rotary coupling member at position d can only be partially driven from the unlocking neutral position 420A to the fully locking coupling position 420C. This is because the lugs abut the position 420B with respect to the edge of the lever 700. When the door handle is released and returned to position e, and the notch is raised to position 702A, lug 420 is freely moved from position 420B to fully engaged position 420C. Even after the initial attempt is blocked, in order to continue moving from B to C to the left, the electric motor is again driven under the control of the central locking control unit 90. However, an optional mechanical device provides a mechanical resilient deflection force that moves the lug from position 420B to position 420C. Preferably, an over-center spring device is provided having an insecure central position corresponding to an intermediate position of the lug between positions 420A and 420C. It is located slightly to the right of the intermediate position 420B, which is engaged with the lever 700. Thus, the lug is deflected to the right until it moves to the center position and is deflected to the left after the center position. Such over-central spring arrangements are well known and typically employ a torsion spring, the end of which is connected to the lug and the housing, respectively, at its ends.

An optional structure of the latching pawl 20 and the rotary sliding member 400 of FIGS. 25 and 26 is shown in FIG. 28. Forks having fork arms 430 and 431 different in length from each other are formed in the rotary slide member 400 instead of being formed in the pawl. The latching pawl is formed with a downwardly dependent pin 20A that engages the fork. This facilitates the individual sealing or isolation of the rotary coupling member and the lever, which are connected and sealed in conjunction with the drive gear and the motor. The latching pawl and latch bolt can be more easily separated from the sealed assembly with the device of FIG. 28 because the deflecting pin 20A can pass through the sealing opening of the housing over the pivot axis 21. This can obtain a better sound insulation effect and can improve the life of the latch actuator by excluding grits and other wear materials.

Electromechanical Infant-Safety Devices

29 shows an electromechanical infant-safety device for use with the latch device described above. A separate electric motor 70 drives the lever 194 pivoted at point 195 by a slide block 191 pivoted at point 192 through slot 193. The block 191 is constrained to move linearly and is driven by a lead screw 198 driven by a motor through a reduction gear. The pivot end of the lever 194 is provided with a pin 196 connected to an actuating lever 197 that can linearly reciprocate in the directions D3 and D4 between positions c and d, thereby providing infant-safety. Start the instrument. As mentioned above, this selectively couples the mechanism to the latching pawl for selective detachment of the inner door handle. Electrical control eliminates the need for mechanical child-safety levers or switches at the rear door latches.

Combined electrical locking and opening and closing of doors

30 to 38 allow a single electric motor to control the independent functions of the latch device, such as electrical door locking and unlocking (central locking) and door opening and closing. Various independent improvements have been disclosed with other devices.

The latch arrangement of FIG. 30 has a rotational indexing and driving member 50 having a single cam pin 30 spring biased to this position by a spring 1009 having two neutral positions Np1 and Np2 and absorbing the impact. Have Controlled actuation in directions D1 and D2 causes independent actuation of cam finger 1004 of shuttle mechanism 1006 and lever arm 1001 for door locking. In order to properly operate the pair of locking members 300 and 350 together, electrical locking is achieved by rotating the lever 1001 in the direction D11 or D12 relative to the return torsion spring 1002. As shown, the cam 1003 of the lever 1001 rotates from the neutral position C to one of the extreme positions C1 and C2 according to the rotation direction of the cam pin 30.

The door is opened by a shuttle 1006 having a contact surface 1005 acting on the lever 1008 of the latching pawl 20. The closing of the door is made by the contact surface 1010 at the lower end of the shuttle, which is in contact with the latch bolt extension 37 and moves from position B to position B1. As shown, the cam finger 1004 moves between the neutral position Np and the extreme positions P1 and P2. As mentioned above, the shuttle is controlled by the tension compression coil spring 1007.

The device of FIG. 31 shows that a single cam finger 1012 on the rotary indexing and driving member 50 selectively controls three functions, and the single lever 1001 of FIG. 30 shows the rotary indexing and driving member ( 50) replaced by two levers 1010, 1011 arranged conformally around it. The cam finger 1012 has three neutral positions Np1, Np2 and Np3 which are spring biased by means not shown. This allows for independent control of the two locking members 300 and 350 as shown.

Another different embodiment is shown in FIG. 32, wherein four actuation members are selectively driven by cam fingers 1012, and four actuation members 1020-1023 are rotated around the rotating indexing and driving member 50. Are arranged isometric. This allows a single electric motor to control auxiliary functions such as opening and closing the electrical door as shown in FIG. 31 and selective locking of the two handles and child-safe operation. In a variant of the apparatus of FIG. 32, different cams 1012, not shown, are disposed on another axially spaced plane of the rotational indexing and driving member 50 as on the camshaft to enhance the flexibility of multiple actions. Can be.

33 shows another embodiment particularly suitable for use with a trunk door or boot latch. The single cam pin 30 is coaxially mounted with the latching pawl and arranged with an independent flange 1031 for rotating the latching pawl in the direction D7 and driving in the direction D3 without actuating the latching pawl. The latching pawl 20 is selectively driven through the rotation lever 1030. Thus, the cam pin 30 can rotate clockwise in the direction D6 to rotate the lever 1030 without being obstructed by the latching pawl. The cam pin 30 actuates the lever arm 1034 which actuates the locking member 300, which is connected to the key mechanism via a link 245. The locking mechanism selectively couples the handle or knob to the latching pawl via link 245.

In other arrangements, the rotary indexing and driving member 50 is spring biased to a neutral position by the wavy cam surface on which the leaf spring 1037 is radially pressed.

34 shows how the cam pin 30 can be arranged to drive the two slide locking members 300, 350 through suitable pins or protrusions 304, 354. The protrusion 354 is movable by the cam pin 30 between positions A, A1, A2 and A3, and correspondingly the protrusion 304 is movable between positions B, B1, B2 and B3. . The stable positions of the protrusions 304 and 354 are the positions A1, A2 and B1 and B2 on the dotted lines as shown, and are displaced between the positions by the cam pins 30, and after the cam pins 30 pass, Return to position To allow passage of the cam pin 30, the protrusions are elastically movable outward with respect to the corresponding extreme positions A, A3, B, B3. For example, locking to take the form of a toggle 1050 which is held by a fixing block 1054 and is deflected into a central position by a torsion spring 1053 arranged on a pivot and pivoted at a position 1052. By arranging the protrusions on the members 300 and 350, elasticity is achieved as shown in FIG. Toggle or finger 1050 may be rotatably displaced to position P1 to be returned to neutral position P by spring arm 1051. Similarly, the finger may be displaced to position P2 to be returned to the neutral position by spring arm 1055.

Selective elastic deformations are of course possible. As shown in FIG. 36, the cam pin 30 is fixed and rests on the V-shaped leaf spring 1070 that is held in the box structure of the actuator 1080 that is part of one of the locking members, for example. Optionally, as shown in FIG. 37, the pin or button 30 is mounted for sliding movement within the housing of the actuator of the rotational indexing and driving member 50, thus compressing to allow passage of the interacting cam. Can be.

In the arrangement shown in FIG. 38, the rotary cam 1083 is a flexible elongate arm 1081, which can elastically deform radially of the rotary indexing and driving member 50 so that the cam 1083 can pass after the rotary operation. 1082).

Key actuator

The operation of the key mechanism suitable for use with the latch device shown in Figs. 25 and 26 will be described with reference to Figs. Conventional cylindrical key mechanisms have a rotational output that must be converted to a linear displacement of the locking members 300, 350. This is accomplished by a specially shaped cam disk 5000 arranged to be driven by the key mechanism. In the device of FIGS. 39 and 41, the cam surface causes linear movement in the opposite direction of the locking member, and in the device of FIGS. 40 and 42, the cam surface causes movement in the same direction. In each case, the devices allow independent mechanical operation of the same locking member.

39 and 41, the cam disk 5000 has wedge cam surfaces in each quadrant Q1 to Q4, which wedge cam surfaces remove the locking member from a lower position of the disk plane. It is inclined to a high position radially spaced from the disk plane sufficient to displace to a predetermined linear distance. In this embodiment, the radially opposite quadrants of the cam surface are located on opposite sides of the disc. 40 and 42, opposite quadrants of the cam surface are located on the same side of the disc. Regions D3 and D4 of FIGS. 39 and 40 represent directions perpendicular to the plane of the disk 5000 where the locking members move together.

In operation, the key drives the disk 5000 by quarter turn in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction for locking and unlocking, and this movement is performed by the quadrant ramp of the locking member 300,350. Is converted into a corresponding linear motion.

Another locking device shown in FIG. 43 corresponds to the system of FIGS. 39 and 41 in which the locking member moves in the opposite direction when actuated. Adapter 2007 with splined cylindrical recess 2006 is coupled to drive transducer disk 5000, which may be driven by key 2001 with splined end 2005. In this device, the angular error is allowed over the cone 2003 by the arch spline 2005. Rotation of the key in the direction 2004 drives the adapter 2007, which drives the disk 5000 in the proper direction of rotation.

For safety from theft, a tubular sleeve 2002 is disposed on the axis of the key 2001, which is preferably coated with an anti-stick material such as Teflon, silicone or adhesive grease. This prevents the saw blade from penetrating into the shaft.

In an optional device, a conventional key mechanism is engaged with the latch by a cable or rod or lever.

The cylindrical key mechanism shown in FIG. 44 has a radial arm 2011 connected to the key axis 2001. Due to this rotary lever 2011, the devices of FIGS. 44A and 44B provide respective locking members 300 and 350 by providing a rhombic aperture (see 2010, 44A or 2100, 2200, 44B) in the end flange of the locking member. It can be used to drive. The edge of the lozenge aperture acts as the cam surface upon rotation of the lever 2011 and linearly drives the locking member in either the same direction as in FIG. 44A or in the opposite direction as in FIG. 44B. In the device shown in FIG. 44C, the key locking device 3003 has a radial cam 3004 arranged to engage the notch 3005 of the lever 3001 being pivoted and to rotate in the direction 3007. The lever 3001 has a protrusion that engages a notch formed in the actuating lever 3002 that is linearly movable in the direction 3008, which may of course be one of the locking members 300, 350. In the case of two locking members, two levers 3001 are provided on the same axis of rotation 3006.

Double locking

As an alternative to the electrical double locking device described above, a mechanical device is shown in FIG. The key mechanism lever 451 is arranged to move in parallel with the inner door knob mechanism 452, the ends of which are engaged by pivot levers 453 pivoted to both instruments as shown. A torsion spring 455 mounted on the pivot axis of the lever 453 of the key mechanism 451 is disposed around the stop guide 456 and two rims extending around the cam pin 457 on the lever 453. ). The lever 453 rotates away from the neutral position shown in FIG. 45 in either direction of rotation to tension the spring, and an appropriate rim of the spring acts on the pin to return it to the neutral position. The protrusion 460 of the key mechanism 451 prevents the lever from rotating beyond the position marked AA.

Two parallel guide rails 458 and 459 are secured to the latch housing, which have the same length and the same length but are linearly displaced as shown.

In the unlocked position as shown in FIG. 45, the door can be locked by a key mechanism moving in the direction D1, whereby the pin 457 moves along the line BB. By reversing this process, the door may not be locked by the key mechanism. If unlocking is attempted by lifting the inner door knob 452 in the direction (D3), the lever 453 rotates in the direction (D4), so that the pin is in contact with the right guide rail 458 by the rail. It is moved to the held position 457A. This constitutes double locking, dead locking or super locking.

However, if the door is locked by the inner door knob mechanism 452, the lever 453 will rotate in the direction D2, so the pin moves along the line AA to the left of the guide rail 459. The pin 457 is able to slide against the guide rail. The guide rail 459 extends sufficiently downward so as not to block the return of the pin 457 along the line AA.

The pole release lever 460 or any actuator may be configured as shown in FIG. 46. During the manufacturing process, the sheet metal blank 460 is provided at one end with a transverse flange 469 with transversely aligned circular apertures 461 and 462 on levers formed at both ends. Slot 463 is cut at flange 469 to open the aperture 462 outward. During manufacturing, the flange 469 is folded at the locations 467 and 468 where the apertures 461 and 462 are aligned to face the main portion 460 as shown. The cable 465, for example cylindrical nipple 466 at the Bowden cable end, is freely rotatable after inserting the nipple through the flange surface and passing the cable 465 through the slot 463. By rotating the cable clockwise to lock in place, it is engaged to the completed lever 460. During the manufacturing process, it is also possible to fix the cable nipples when the flanges are folded. This does not require the formation of rivets or release levers. The lever can be made more compact than molding.

Housing for Latch Actuator

As mentioned above, the latch actuator may be formed in a small box-shaped housing. As shown in FIG. 47, the housing may be formed from two opposing end plates 3017, 3018 with sidewalls 3027. Such a device may be fitted with suitable bolts 3024, which are respectively joined to pivot shafts 21 for the shaft 3019, latching pawls 20 and other instruments 3020, 3021, 3022 and pivot shafts 15 for the latch bolts 11, It may be fixed to the door frame 3023 by 3025, 3026. These pivot axes 21, 15 have an axial upward protrusion extending through the end plate 3017 and include radial enlargements 3015, 3028, respectively.

Elongated closure plate 3010 has key hole-shaped apertures 3012 and 3013 that engage with protruding pivot axes 3015 and 3028. During the manufacturing process, when the latch device component is assembled as shown and the end plate 3017 is inserted over the three spindles, the closure plate 3010 causes the large portions of the key holes 3012 and 3013 to be enlarged 3030. 3030 is positioned to pass through. At this time, the corresponding through hole 3011 of the closure plate is slightly misaligned with the axis of the spindle 3019 as shown. The closure plate 3010 then slides over the plate 3017 in direction A and locked in place. The interior of each key hole slides on and holds each spindle on pivot axes 21 and 15. The closure plate then supports the enlargement or studs 3015 and 3028. At this time, the through hole 3011 of the closure plate reaches the axis of the spindle 3019, and the closure cap 3014 is press-inserted into the corresponding through hole of the through hole 3011 and the end plate 3017 to counter the sliding motion. Secure the closure plate.

The device can be disassembled without destroying the latch device by simply removing the cap 3014, sliding the closure plate 3010 and then removing the closure plate and disassembling the remaining parts of the latch assembly. Thus, the failed part can be replaced at any time.
Each end of the latch housing may have its own closure plate.

Key mechanism to activate multi-locking

As shown in FIG. 48, a single rotary key mechanism 481 with an output radial lever 482 that can rotate in either direction of D1 or D2 is used to operate two separate locking mechanisms 485 and 486 respectively. (483,484). Any link mechanism is of course possible, but Bowden cables are more preferred. For example, the key mechanism of the vehicle door can be connected by respective cables to the latches of the same door and different doors. However, the key mechanism may be located at any place of the vehicle body that is accessible from the outside. This can reduce the number of required key mechanisms and make the door more streamlined. Of course, this may also apply to closures other than doors, and three or more locks may be connected via the respective cable to the same key mechanism. It is also a flexible system that allows the key mechanism to be located remote from the latch.

Clutch mechanism

As shown in Figure 49, the electrical drive to the door opening and closing mechanism can be separated by the operation of a mechanical actuator such as a door handle. This ensures that the instrument is not inoperable even when power is interrupted. Motor output spindle 60A drives rotational output driver 60 from spindle 492 extending through housing 491. This rotational output driver 60 is connected to a spline gear 496 that engages with an inwardly splined coupling gear 498. The coupling gear 498 is formed of a conical cam surface 497 and has a first cam 1495 for activating the pole by the link arm 1491 and a second cam 1494 for driving the latch bolt 11. It is spring-biased in the axial direction to engage the output gear 1490 which drives the provided rotary cam unit 1493. The coupling gear 498 is selectively engaged with the final output gear 1490 by opposing teeth coupled at 499. The coupling gear 498 moves axially away from engagement with the output gear when the end is driven by the link arm 495 shown in FIG. 50. An end flange 494 of the link arm is formed with a wedge-shaped cam 4941 which compresses the spring by interacting with the conical cam surface 497 to drive the coupling gear 498 in the axial direction. The link arm 495 is elastically deflected by the spring 493 to a neutral position as shown in FIG. 49.

Thus, the link arms selectively separate the clutch and prevent electrical drive from interfering with each other from mechanical drive and vice versa.

Claims (155)

A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor coupled to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more elastically displaceable protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; And Position the indexing and driving member, thereby driving the actuation member in the latch assembly such that the one or more actuation members perform the operations required to lock or unlock the latch or to completely close the door or other closure member. Means for selectively controlling the electric motor to Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor coupled to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more elastically displaceable protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; And Position the indexing and driving member, thereby driving the actuation member to perform an action in the latch assembly that is required for the one or more actuation members to lock or unlock the latch and to fully close the door or other closure member. Means for selectively controlling the electric motor to Latch device. The method according to claim 1 or 2, At least one of the protrusion and the actuation member is elastically displaceable at the mutual contact to allow limited displacement after completion of the required action, Latch device. The method according to claim 1 or 2, Wherein the protrusion is elastically displaceable, Latch device. The method according to claim 1 or 2, At least one of the actuation members is spring biased towards a contact with the protrusion protruding from the indexing and driving member, Latch device. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The indexing and driving member is elastically deflected toward the neutral stable rotational position, and thus is preferentially driven from the intermediate unstable position to the neutral stable rotational position, Latch device. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The latch device is suitable for a car door or other closure to releasably restrain the striker, A latch bolt configured to hold the striker in a latching position and to release the striker in an unlatching position; A locking member mounted to move between a locking position for holding the latch bolt in the latching position and an unlocking position for allowing the latch bolt to move to the unlatching position; And Means for locking the locking member further; Latch device. The method of claim 7, wherein The indexing and driving member arranged to drive the latch bolt and means for locking the locking member to complete closing of the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 7, wherein The indexing and driving member is arranged to selectively release the locking member to allow opening of the door, Latch device. The method of claim 7, wherein Two or more locking member release levers that are operatively connected to respective external controls such as an inner door handle and an outer door handle, the locking member being coupled to the locking member for unlocking the locking member; And And two corresponding coupling members each selectively moveable between an engagement position for coupling the locking member release lever to the locking member and a neutral position for non-engagement; The indexing and driving member selectively electrically controls the position of the coupling member to selectively couple to one or both of the external controls for opening the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 10, The optional central locking and power assisted door closing function is achieved using only one motor, Latch device. The method of claim 10, The optional central locking and power assisted door closing and opening functions are made using only one motor, Latch device. The method of claim 7, wherein And locking and unlocking means for locking and unlocking the locking member. In another phase of rotational movement, the indexing and driving member selectively drives the locking and unlocking means and the latch bolt, Latch device. The method of claim 7, wherein The locking member is a pole, Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor connected to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; And Position the indexing and driving member, thereby driving the actuation member in the latch assembly such that the one or more actuation members perform the operations required to lock or unlock the latch or to completely close the door or other closure member. Means for selectively controlling the electric motor to The indexing and driving member is elastically deflected toward the neutral stable rotational position, and thus is preferentially driven from the intermediate unstable position to the neutral stable rotational position, Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor connected to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; And Position the indexing and driving member, thereby driving the actuation member to perform an action in the latch assembly that is required for the one or more actuation members to lock or unlock the latch and to fully close the door or other closure member. Means for selectively controlling the electric motor to The indexing and driving member is elastically deflected toward the neutral stable rotational position, and thus is preferentially driven from the intermediate unstable position to the neutral stable rotational position, Latch device. The method according to claim 15 or 16, At least one of the protrusion and the actuation member is elastically displaceable at the mutual contact to allow limited displacement after completion of the required action, Latch device. The method according to claim 15 or 16, Wherein the protrusion is elastically displaceable, Latch device. The method according to claim 15 or 16, At least one of the actuation members is spring biased towards a contact with the protrusion protruding from the indexing and driving member, Latch device. The method according to claim 15 or 16, The latch device is suitable for a car door or other closure to releasably restrain the striker, A latch bolt configured to hold the striker in a latching position and to release the striker in an unlatching position; A locking member mounted to move between a locking position for holding the latch bolt in the latching position and an unlocking position for allowing the latch bolt to move to the unlatching position; And Means for locking the locking member further; Latch device. The method of claim 20, The indexing and driving member is coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking member for electrical door opening and the locking means for electrical locking and unlocking, Latch device. The method of claim 20, The indexing and driving member is arranged to drive the locking means and the latch bolt to complete the closing of the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 20, The indexing and driving member is arranged to selectively release the locking member to allow opening of the door, Latch device. The method of claim 20, Two or more locking member release levers operatively connected to respective external controls, the locking member being coupled to the locking member for unlocking the locking member; And And two corresponding coupling members each selectively moveable between an engagement position for coupling the locking member release lever to the locking member and a neutral position for non-engagement; The indexing and driving member selectively electrically controls the position of the coupling member to selectively couple to one or both of the external controls for opening the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 24, The optional central locking and power assisted door closing function is achieved using only one motor, Latch device. The method of claim 24, The optional central locking and power assisted door closing and opening functions are made using only one motor, Latch device. The method of claim 20, And locking and unlocking means for locking and unlocking the locking member. In another phase of rotational movement, the indexing and driving member selectively drives the locking and unlocking means and the latch bolt, Latch device. The method of claim 20, The locking member is a pole, Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor connected to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; Selectively positioning said electric motor to position said indexing and driving member, thereby driving said actuating member such that said at least one actuating member performs within the latch assembly an action necessary for locking or unlocking the latch. Means for controlling; And And a locking member mounted to move between the locking position and the unlocking position. The indexing and driving member is coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking member for electrical door opening, and the protrusion is elastically displaceable, Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor connected to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; Selectively positioning said electric motor to position said indexing and driving member, thereby driving said actuating member such that said at least one actuating member performs within the latch assembly an action necessary for locking or unlocking the latch. Means for controlling; And And a locking member mounted to move between the locking position and the unlocking position. The indexing and driving member are coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking member for electrical door opening, The indexing and driving member is elastically deflected toward the neutral stable rotational position, and thus is preferentially driven from the intermediate unstable position to the neutral stable rotational position, Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor connected to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; Selectively positioning said electric motor to position said indexing and driving member, thereby driving said actuating member such that said at least one actuating member performs within the latch assembly an action necessary for locking or unlocking the latch. Means for controlling; A locking member mounted to move between the locking position and the unlocking position; Two or more locking member release levers operatively connected to respective external controls, the locking member being coupled to the locking member for unlocking the locking member; And And two corresponding coupling members each selectively moveable between an engagement position for coupling the locking member release lever to the locking member and a neutral position for non-engagement; The indexing and driving member are coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking member for electrical door opening, The indexing and driving member selectively electrically controls the position of the coupling member to selectively couple to one or both of the external controls for opening the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 31, wherein The optional central locking and power assisted door closing function is achieved using only one motor, Latch device. The method of claim 31, wherein The optional central locking and power assisted door closing and opening functions are made using only one motor, Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor connected to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; Position the indexing and driving member, thereby driving the actuation member in the latch assembly such that the one or more actuation members perform the operations required to lock or unlock the latch or to completely close the door or other closure member. Means for selectively controlling the electric motor to do so; A locking member mounted to move between the locking position and the unlocking position; Two or more locking member release levers operatively connected to respective external controls, the locking member being coupled to the locking member for unlocking the locking member; And And two corresponding coupling members each selectively moveable between an engagement position for coupling the locking member release lever to the locking member and a neutral position for non-engagement; The indexing and driving member are coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking member for electrical door opening, The indexing and driving member selectively electrically controls the position of the coupling member to selectively couple to one or both of the external controls for opening the door or other closure, Latch device. A latch device used for a car door or other closure, An electric motor connected to the rotating indexing and driving member having one or more protrusions; One or more actuation members arranged to be driven by respective protrusions protruding from the indexing and driving member; Position the indexing and driving member, thereby driving the actuation member to perform an action in the latch assembly that is required for the one or more actuation members to lock or unlock the latch and to fully close the door or other closure member. Means for selectively controlling the electric motor to do so; A locking member mounted to move between the locking position and the unlocking position; Two or more locking member release levers operatively connected to respective external controls, the locking member being coupled to the locking member for unlocking the locking member; And And two corresponding coupling members each selectively moveable between an engagement position for coupling the locking member release lever to the locking member and a neutral position for non-engagement; The indexing and driving member are coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking member for electrical door opening, The indexing and driving member selectively electrically controls the position of the coupling member to selectively couple to one or both of the external controls for opening the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, At least one of the protrusion and the actuation member is elastically displaceable at the mutual contact to allow limited displacement after completion of the required action, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, Wherein the protrusion is elastically displaceable, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, At least one of the actuation members is spring biased towards a contact with the protrusion protruding from the indexing and driving member, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, The indexing and driving member is elastically deflected toward the neutral stable rotational position, and thus is preferentially driven from the intermediate unstable position to the neutral stable rotational position, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, The latch device is suitable for a car door or other closure to releasably restrain the striker, A latch bolt configured to hold the striker in a latching position and to release the striker in an unlatching position; A locking member mounted to move between a locking position for holding the latch bolt in the latching position and an unlocking position for allowing the latch bolt to move to the unlatching position; And Means for locking and unlocking the locking member; Latch device. The method of claim 40, The indexing and driving member is coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking member for electrical door opening and the locking means for electrical locking and unlocking, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, The indexing and driving member is arranged to drive the locking means and the latch bolt to complete the closing of the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, The indexing and driving member is arranged to selectively release the locking member to allow opening of the door, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, The optional central locking and power assisted door closing function is achieved using only one motor, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, The optional central locking and power assisted door closing and opening functions are made using only one motor, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, And locking and unlocking means for locking and unlocking the locking member. In another phase of rotational movement, the indexing and driving member selectively drives the locking and unlocking means and the latch bolt, Latch device. The method of claim 34 or 35, The locking member is a pole, Latch device. A latch device for an automobile door or other closure for releasably restraining the striker 10, A latch bolt (11) configured to hold the striker in a latching position and to release the striker in an unlatching position; A locking member (20) mounted to move between a locking position for holding said latch bolt in a latching position and an unlocking position for allowing said latch bolt to move to said latching position; Means for locking and unlocking the locking member 20 (221, 222; 1811, 300; 234; 1001, 300, 350; 1034, 300); And an electric motor 70, comprising: The electric motor directly or indirectly to complete the closing of the locking means (221, 222; 1811, 300; 234; 1001, 300, 350; 1034, 300) and the door or other closure for electrical locking and unlocking; Indexing and driving output drivers 50 coupled to selectively and independently drive the locking bolt 20 or both the latch bolt and the locking member for electrical opening of the latch bolt 11 or the door or other closure. Having, Latch device. 49. The method of claim 48 wherein An electronic central locking device (90) for controlling the electric motor to selectively lock and unlock the latch; Latch device. The method of claim 48 or 49, At least one locking member release lever 300, 1033, 245, which can be driven to an external control such as a door handle and is coupled to the locking member to release the locking member 20 so that the door is opened; see FIG. ), Latch device. The method of claim 48 or 49, A key mechanism (1033) operatively coupled to the locking means for manually locking and unlocking the locking means, Latch device. The method of claim 48 or 49, The locking member 20 is a pole, Latch device. 49. The method of claim 48 wherein Two or more locking member release levers that are operatively connected to an individual external control such as an outer door handle and coupled to the locking member for unlocking the locking member 20; And at least two separate coupling members (300, 350) each selectively movable between an engagement position for coupling the driving force from the individual locking member release lever to the locking member and a neutral position that does not engage; The indexing and driving output drivers are driven 1001 individually or together with each coupling member for selective action, so that the controlled movement of the electric motor controls the selective coupling or disconnection of each external control. doing, Latch device. The method of claim 49 or 53, The electronic central locking device for locking and unlocking the locking member 20 is arranged to control the electric motor 70 for selective coupling of the external control, Latch device. The method of claim 54, wherein The electrical control function of the central locking device can be assisted by each mechanical control accessible from the outside, Latch device. The method of claim 48 or 49, With only one electric motor 70, Latch device. The method of claim 48 or 49, Each latch function controlled by the electric motor, such as locking and door opening and closing, can be assisted by the corresponding mechanical driver even in the event of an electrical failure or failure, Latch device. The method of claim 48 or 49, The same indexing and driving output driver 50 is arranged to drive the latch bolt 37 directly or indirectly to complete the closing of the door or other closure, Latch device. The method of claim 48 or 49, The same indexing and driving output driver 50 is arranged to drive the locking member 20 for electrical opening of the door or other closure, Latch device. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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