US3231302A

US3231302A - Door latch mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3231302A
Application number: US259548A
Authority: US
Inventors: Maurice M Westerdale
Original assignee: Ford Motor Co
Current assignee: Ford Motor Co
Priority date: 1963-02-19
Filing date: 1963-02-19
Publication date: 1966-01-25
Anticipated expiration: 1983-01-25

Description

1966 M. M. WESTERDALE 3,231,302

DOOR LATCH MECHANISM Filed Feb. 19, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1966 M. M. WESTERDALE 3,231,302

DOOR LATCH MECHANISM Filed Feb. 19, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A T rok/vsrs Jan. 25, 1966 Filed Feb. 19, 1963 M. M. WESTERDALE DOOR LATCH MECHANISM '5 Sheets-Sheet 5 MflUR/CE M. IVA-6751901415 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,231,302 DOOR LATCH MECHANISM Maurice M. Westerdale, Inkster, Mich., assignor to Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 259,548 6 Claims. (Cl. 29252) This invention relates to latch mechanisms for swinging doors, especially the doors of automobile or other vehicle bodies.

The latch mechanism embodying the present invention comprises certain components found in most conventional vehicle door latch mechanisms. That is, it has a support or plate on which are mounted the operative parts such as a pivotal latch device means adapted to engage a striker or keeper device mounted on a door framing structure, a detent means releasably engaged with the latch device means to hold the latter in door latched position, a system of operating members actuatable from the outside and the inside of the vehicle door by outside and inside operators, such as push buttons, handles or the like, for releasing the detent means from the latch device means, and a means for disabling the system of operating members so that the door cannot be unlatched by the operation of the outside and inside operators. It is in the construction and arrangement of this disabling means that the latch mechanism embodying the present invention represents an improvement over prior art latch mechanisms.

Latch mechanisms may be categorized by the manner in which the system of operating members is disabled or rendered inoperative to disengage the detent means from the latch device means to place the latch mechanism in locked condition. This may be done by the use of a blocking means selectively positionable to block movement of one of the key operating members. This may also be done by use of a disconnection means interposed in the train or system of members extending from the push button, handle or the like mounted on the outside and on the inside of the vehicle door.

Reference may be made to C. F. Kramer US. Patent No. 2,987,336, issued June 6, 1961, for a latch mechanism exemplifying the type in which a block'mg means is used to render a key member of the system of operating members inoperative to cause disengagement of the detent means from the latch device means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a latch mechanism characterized by many of the features of the latch mechanism disclosed in the Kramer patent and which is further characterized by the inclusion of features of construction by which the means manually operable from the outside or from the inside of the door, such as a handle, push button or the like operated means, may be operatively disconnected so that the detent cannot be moved to a detent disengaged position relative to the latch device means. More specifically, the system of members or train of parts operatively associating the outer and inner manually operable operators with the detent means includes atransmitting member mounted for swinging and shifting movements on the latch mechanusm support or plate. -The mounting means for this transmitting member includes a biasing means forming a displaceable pivot means about which the transmitting member is swingable from a detent means abutting position to a detent means nonabutting position. When the transmitting member is in a detent means abutting position, it may be shifted against the resistance of the biasing means to engage the detent means and disengage the latter from the latch device. When the transmitting member is in a detent means nonabutting position and 'ice is shifted against the resistance of the biasing means, it will merely bypass the detent means.

The latch mechanism embodying the present invention is particularly adapted for use on the rear doors of vehicles. When the transmitting member is placed in a nonabutting relationship to the detent means, and the door is in the latched condition, the door cannot be opened from the outside nor can it be opened from the inside. This latter feature is particularly desirable when young children are carried as passengers in the rear compartment of the vehicle. When the vehicle door is in an unlatched and opened condition, the transmitting member may be shifted from a detent engaging to a detent nonengaging position. The vehicle door may be then slammed shut and the parts of the latch mechanism will remain in the disconnected or locked relationship.

Other objects and advantages and the features of construction of the present invent-ion will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective viewof a latch mechanism embodying the present invention as it appears when mounted on a vehicle door, a fragmentary portion of the door being shown in dot and dash outline;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the latch mechanism as it appears {from the inside of the vehicle door or when viewed from the face of the latch mechanism opposite to that shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken from the right side of FIG. 2 as viewed in the drawing; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view taken from the left side of FIG. 2 as viewed in the drawing.

In the drawing there is illustrated, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the present latch mechanism, generally designated 10, as applied to the door of an auto mobile body. Adapted to be secured as by means of screws (not shown) to the inner side of the free edge or jamb opposing wall 11 of a vehicle door 12 is a latch mechanism support having a main plate 13 and a flange or second plate 14 which is adapted'to be positioned along the inner panel of the door. The present latch mechanism has a pair of pivoted latch devices comprising jaw elements 15 (see 'FIG. 1) positioned at the outer face of the main plate 13. Each jaw element 15 is provided with a shaft or pivot portion 16 having a reduced bearing portion 17 extending through a suitable flanged aperture in the main plate 13. The inner reduced end or hearing portion 17 of each shaft 16 is provided with diametrically opposed flats 18 thereon. Fitted over the bearing portion 17 and keyed thereto by the flats 18 are a pair of

control plates

19 and 21. Each jaw element 15 is thus rigidly coupled to

acontrol plate

19 or 21, beingconcentric therewith on a shaft 16. As defined herein, each latch device means comprises a jaw element 15, a shaft 16 and a

control plate

19 or 21.

Each jaw element 15 is a substantially triangular plate member having its pivot axis located near its apex end. The side opposite the apex end is outwardly rounded and is provided in the center thereof with a semicircular recess or enlarged notch 22.

Each control plate is a gear sector having teeth 23, the teeth being intermeshed to thereby couple the control plates 9 and 21 together for correlated movements. Both jaw elements 15 are thus controlled for counterdirectional swhiging movement in unison toward and from each other into and out of door latched condition.

A spiral spring 24 is disposed concentrically with and adjacent the inner face of the control plate 19. The spring 24 is coupled at its inner end 25 to the shaft 16 carrying the control plate 19, the shaft having a slot or kerf 26 receiving the spring end. The outer or free end 27 of the spring 24 is looped over the edge of a slot 28 in an offset 29 at the upper edge of the main plate 13. The spring 24 is installed in a preloaded condition so that it at all times tends to rotate or urge the control plate 19, the shaft 16 and associated jaw element in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. Since the control plate 19 is coupled to the control plate 21 through the gear teeth 23, rotative force exerted by the spring 24 on the plate 19 is transmitted to the plate 21 so that it is also at all times under a rotative force urging it, the shaft 16 and associated jaw element 15 in a clockwise direction is viewed in FIG. 2.

The control plate 21 is provided with two peripherally spaced abutments or ratchet teeth and 31. Cooperable with the abutment or ratched toothed edge of the control plate 21 is a detent 32 pivotally mounted on a shoulder rivet 33 secured to the main plate 13. It will be noted that the detent 32 extends in a substantially horizontal direction across the main plate 13 from it pivot, the shoulder rivet 33, toward the flange 14. The flange 14 is provided with an elongated vertically extending slot 34 (see FIG. 4) through which an extension or arm 35 of the detent 32 projects.

Above the arm 35 the detent has an abutment portion 36 cooperable with the teeth or abutments 30 and 31 on the control plate 21. When the detent abutment 36 is in engagement with the control plate abutment 30, the jaw elements 13 will be held in what is known as a secondary latched position. In other words, although the jaw elements 15 are not in a fully latched position, they are closed sufficiently to engage a striker or keeper pin therebetween to prevent opening movement of a vehicle door. When the abutment 36 is in engagement with the control plate abutment or tooth 31, as shown in FIG. 2, the jaw elements 15 will be in final latched position or fully gripping the striker or keeper pin (not shown).

The detent 32 is urged in a counterclockwise direction or toward the control plate 21 by a spiral spring 37 This spring is anchored at its inner end 38 to the shoulder rivet 33 and at its free or outer end 39 to a short upwardly extending extension 41 of the detent 32.

It will be apparent from FIG. 2 that the detent 32 must be swung in a clockwise direction about is pivot 33 to permit movement of the

control plates

21 and 19 and thereby the jaw elements 15 in unlatching direction.

That is, the abutment 36 on the detent 32 must be moved out of the path of the abutments 31 and 30 on the control plate 21.

Disengaging movement of the detent 32 is accomplished in the latch mechanism embodying the present invention through a system of levers and links adapted to be operated from the outside or the inside of the vehicle door. For operation from the outside of the door, the latch mechanism 10 is provided with a substantially vertically extending lever 42 pivoted intermediate its ends on a pivot stu'd 43 secured to the previously mentioned olfset 29 on the upper edge of the main plate 13. The lower end 44 of the lever 42 has a flange 45 adapted to be engaged by a plunger or stem (not shown) projecting inwardly from a push button mounted on the outer panel of the vehicle door in a conventional manner.

The upper arm 46 of the lever 42 is pivotally coupled at 47 to a substantially horizontally extending link 48. The link 48 in turn is pivotally coupled at 49 to an upwardly extending arm 51 of a multiarm lever 52. The multiarm lever 52 is pivotally mounted on a pivot stud 53 secured to a sub-flange 54 which is angularly related to the main plate flange '14. It will be noted that the sub-flange 54 extends only a short distance down from the upper edge of the main plate flange 14 and that it lies in substantially parallel relationship to the main plate 13. The sub-flange 54 terminates in an appendage or subflange 55 which is substantially parallel to the main plate flange 14. A bell crank lever '56 is pivotally mounted on the sub-flange 55 for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The multiarm lever 52 has an arm 57 which extends towards the main plate flange 14 and projects through a slot 58 therein. The slot 58 receives the upper end of a vertically extending link or transmitting member 59. The upper end of the link 59 has a reduced neck portion 61 which is coiled over so as to project through the slot 58. The terminal end 62 of the coiled over neck portion 61 flares out to the original width of the link and is provided with a centrally located upwardly extending notch or slot 63. The notch or slot 63 has an important function in that it receives the free end 64 of a coiled spring 65 which is carried on a shank extension 66 of the pivot stud '53 mounting the multiarrn lever 52 on the sub-flange 54. The other end or leg 67 of the coiled spring 65 is slipped over a lug 68 extending laterally of the sub-flange 54 at the bottom edge thereof.

The relationship of the neck portion 61 of the link 59 with the walls of the slot 58 in the flange 14 is such that the upper end of the link 59 cannot be pulled out of the slot. The relationship of the free end 64 of the spring 65 and the notch or slot 63 in the link 59 is of vital importance in that the spring end 64 becomes the actual pivot about which the link or transmitting member 59 is swingable, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The spring 65 further functions as the biasing means which urges the link of transmitting member 59 upwardly so that it always underlies the arm 57 of the multiarm lever 52.

The lower end of the transmitting member or link 59 is provided with a vertically extending slot 69 which traverses a slightly curved substantially horizontally extending slot 71 in the flange 14. Projecting through both these slots is a headed stud or rivet 72 which is carried on the lower end of a bell crank lever 73 pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a pivot stud 74 secured to the flange 14. The bell crank lever 73 is mounted on the side of the flange 14 opposite the side against which the link or transmitting member 59 slides. The bell crank lever 73 has an upstanding arm portion 75 provided with an aperture 76 adapted to receive a link (not shown) which terminates in a knob or other control element mounted in a convenient place on the inner panel of the door or at the garnish molding. As best seen with reference to FIG. 4, when the bell crank lever 73 is swung from the solid outline position in a counterclockwise direction to the dot and dash outline position, the link or transmitting member 59 is pivoted about the pivot axis defined by the free end 64 of the spring 65 from the solid outline position to the dot-dash outline position. When the link or transmitting member 59 is in the vertical position, the solid outline position of FIG. 4, its lower end overlies the end 35 of the detent 32. Therefore, any downward movement of the link or transmitting member 59 will cause the lower end of the link to abut the detent 32 and to swing the latter in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2. When swung in this direction, the abutment 36 is moved out of the path of the projections 31-30 and the latch mechanism control plates and jaw elements are permitted to rotate in unlatching direction. When the transmitting link is in the dot and dash outline position shown in FIG. 4, any downward movement of the transmitting member or link 59 is ineffective to cause actuation of the detent means 32 because the transmitting member or link 59 will merely bypass the end 35 of this member without abutting it.

Referring now to the bell crank lever 56 which is mounted on the appendage or sub-flange 55 by means of a pivot stud 77, the arm 78 of bell crank lever 56 underlies the arm 79 of the multiarm lever 52. The bell crank lever 56 has an upwardly extending arm 81 provided with an aperture 82 adapted to receive a draft link (not shown) adapted to be coupled to a conventional remote control device operated by a door handle mounted on the inner door panel of the vehicle door (not shown). If, as viewed in FIG. 4, the bell crank lever 56 is rotated in a clockwise direction, the arm 78 will lift the arm 79 of the multiarm lever 52 causing the arm 57 of the multiarm lever 52 to drive the transmitting member or link 59 in a downward direction. This actuation is the same as occurs when the multiarm lever 52 is driven from the outside of the vehicle door through the lever 42 and the link 48.

Thus, in the present latch mechanism, when the transmitting member or link 59 is in the inoperative position relative to the end of the detent means 32, both the outer operator and the inner operator for unlatching the door are rendered inoperative to unlatch the door.

It may be noted that the upper end of the arm 81 of the bell crank lever 56 is provided with an inwardly turned portion 83 which abuts the upper edge of the appendage or sub-flange 55 thus providing a limiting stop which prevents the bell crank lever 56 from being actuated in a counterclockwise direction.

The stepped arrangement provided by the flange 14 and the sub-flanges 54 and 55 is particularly necessary with respect to the latch mechanism embodying the present invention because this latch mechanism is designed to fit within a certain style vehicle door and, as is indicated in FIG. 1, the frame of the glass or window of the door comes fairly close to the free edge wall 11 of the door. In order to operate the latch mechanism from the inside of the door, it is necessary to get around the glass guide channel (not shown). This is accomplished by the stepped arrangement of the sub-flanges 54 and 55. The construction and arrangement as embodied in the present invention results in a relatively thin latch mechanism yet one which is capable of performing all of the functions desired for a rear door latch mechanism.

The latch mechanism may be placed in locked condition by manipulation of the lever 73 to throw the transmitting member 59 from the position in which it overlies the detent arm 35 to an angularly inclined position in which it bypasses the detent arm 35. This may be done whether the door is in an opened or a closed condition. When this is done with the door in an opened position and the door is then slammed shut, the latch devices will engage the striker or keeper device, the detent means abutment 36 will drop into holding position relative to the abutment 31 on the control plate 21, and the detent arm 35 will correspondingly move upward but it will not interfere or abut any part of the transmitting member or link 59. The latter will remain in its angularly inclined position so that if the outside or inside operators are manipulated the detent will not be disengaged from the control plate 21. If it is desired to unlock the door, it is only necessary to manipulate the lever 73 to return the transmitting member 59 to its position overlying the detent and then the door may be opened from either the inside or the outside.

It may be noted that a toggle or overcenter spring 84 is interposed between the bell crank lever 73 and the flange 14 to ensure that the transmitting member is held in either full detent abutting or full detent non-abutting positions.

The manner in which the jaw elements 15 coact with a striker or keeper device to hold the door in latched condition is fully described in the aforementioned United States Patent No. 2,987,336 issued to C. F. Kramer.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A latch mechanism for a swinging door, comprising:

a support,

latch device means pivotally mounted on said support for movement between door latched and door unlatched positions,

biasing means urging said latch device means toward door unlatched position,

detent means pivotally mounted on said support and engageable with said latch device means for holding the same in door latched position,

manually operable means movable in detent means actuating direction,

a transmitting member interposed between said manually operable means and said detent means,

and spring means having a free end portion thereof in engagement with and biasing said transmitting member toward said manually operable means,

said free end portion also pivotally supporting said transmitting member for swingable movement from a detent means actuating position to a detent means bypassing position,

said transmitting member when in detent means actuating position being effective to transmit movement of said manually operable means to said detent means to cause disengagement of the latter from said latch device means,

said transmitting member when in detent means bypassing position being ineffective to transmit movement of said manually operable means to said detent means,

and control means for swinging said transmitting member about the free end portion of said spring means between said detent means actuating and bypassing positions.

2. A latch mechanism according to claim 1 in which the manually operable means comprises a bell crank member having a driving arm abutting said transmitting member and driven arms operatively coupled to actuating members actuatable from the outside and the inside of said swinging door, respectively.

3. A latch mechanism according to claim 2 in which said spring means through said free end portion restores said transmitting member and said bell crank member to inoperative position after operation thereof.

4. A latch mechanism for a swinging door, comprismg:

a support having a main plate portion and a flange at one side thereof,

latch device means pivotally mounted on said main plate portion for movement between door latched and door unlatched positions,

detent means pivotally mounted on one end of said main plate portion at one side of and engageable with said latch device means for holding the same in door latched position,

manually operable means comprising a bell crank lever mounted on an extension of said flange paralleling said main plate portion,

said bell crank lever having an arm movable in detent means actuating direction,

a transmitting member mounted on said flange interposed between said bell crank lever arm and said detent means,

and spring means mounted on said flange extension having a free end portion thereof in engagement with and biasing said transmitting member toward said bell crank lever arm,

said transmitting member when in detent means bypassing position being ineffective to transmit move- 7 ment of said manually operable means to said detent means,

and control means pivotally mounted on said flange for swinging said detent means about the free end portion of said spring means between said detent means actuating and bypassing positions.

5. A latch mechanism according to claim 4 in which the latch device means comprises:

a pair of jaw elements pivotally mounted on one side of said main plate portion for swinging movement about spaced axes perpendicular to the plane of said main plate portion,

a pair of control members mounted on the opposite side of the said main plate portion,

each control member being fixedly coupled to one of said jaw elements for pivotal movement therewith,

said control members having intermeshed portions whereby said jaw elements are controlled for movement in unison toward and from each other to door latched and door unlatched position, respectively,

and at least one of said control members being provided with a detent means engageable portion,

the detent means when in engagement with said detent means engageable portion holding said jaw elements in door latched position.

6. A latch mechanism according to claim 4 in which said spring means acting through its free end portion in abutting relation to said transmitting member is efiFective to restore said transmitting member and bell crank lever to an inoperative position after operation thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,625,420 1/1953 Endter 292-198 2,649,321 8/1953 Smith 2925 2,877,043 3/1959 Leslie 292280 2,987,336 6/1961 Kramer 292-52 JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner.

M. HENSON WOOD, 111., Examiner.