US3432198A

US3432198A - Latch mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3432198A
Application number: US649221A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert W Connor
Original assignee: Ford Motor Co
Current assignee: Ford Motor Co
Priority date: 1967-06-27
Filing date: 1967-06-27
Publication date: 1969-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 1986-03-11
Also published as: BR6899909D0; FR1571786A; GB1184524A; DE1703668A1

Description

United States Patent Oflfice ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door latch mechanism 4 Claims Background the invention US. Patent Number 2,987,336 issued to C. F. Kramer disclosed a keeper device assembly comprising a headed pin, a collar of compliant material concentrically mounted on the pin, and a tempered steel alloy split ring surrounding the compliant collar to provide a wear resistant surface for the keeper device assembly and compressibility when the latter is engaged by a latch element. The Kramer latch element comprised a pair of jaws adapted to grasp device assembly therebetween. The jaws were one side of a support plate and were coupled to control plates on the opposite sides of the support plate. One of the control plates was engageable by a detent means to releasably hold the latter and thereby the jaw elements in keeper device grasping position.

It is an object of the present invention to utilize the Kramer type keeper device assembly with a simplified latch element.

Summary of the invention This invention relates to a door latch mechanism for latching a vehicle door structure to an adjacent vehicle vehicle body extending longitudinally of the vehicle body structure in door structure closed position. The bifurcated latch element has substantially parallel leg portions one of which extends substantially radially of the pivot axis and the other of which is laterally off-set therefrom. The bifurcated latch element coacts with a keeper element rigidlymounted on the other of the structures. The keeper element is engaged by the latch element between the leg portions of the latter. A detent means releasably engageable with the laterally off-set leg portion of the latch element holds the latter in door latched position.

Description of the drawing FIG. 1 is a perspective view of of a vehicle body illustrating the the latch mechanism embodying the present invention;

. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the latch mechanism illustrating the relationship of the latch elea fragmentary portion placement thereon of device assembly;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the latch mecha nism illustrating the latch element in fully latched position 3,432,198 Patented Mar. 11, 1969 in solid outline and in unlatched position in dot and dash outline; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Description 0 the preferred embodiment having a passenger compartment access opening adapted to be closed by a swinging door structure, generally designated 12.

Mounted on a body pillar panel 13 framing the body opening is a keeper device assembly 14. The keeper desupport plate 15 to which is The keeper device assembly 14 as above described is substantially the same as that shown in Kramer US. Patent 2,987,336. The latch element 21, however, co-acting with the keeper device assembly 14 is substantially different from that shown in the Kramer patent. The present latch element 21 is a bifurcated element having substantially

parallel leg portions

22 and 23. It is pivotally mounted on a gudgeon 24 journalled at one end 25 in a support plate 26. The support plate 26 is mounted on the free edge door structure 12. The

The leg portion 22 of the latch element 21 extends substantially radially of the pivot axis defined by the The latch element 21 is urged in unlatching direction by a spiral spring 33 coupled to the outer end 25 of the gudgeon 24. The spiral spring 33 has a free end hooked over a pin 34 projecting from the rear face of the support plate 26.

The housing 31 has an elongated slot 35 opening from the side wall 36 and extending across the front face 37. The side wall 36 is notched at 3'8 and the slot 35 is tapered slightly on the side wall 36 toward its closed end. The slot 35 receives the keeper device assembly 14 as the 19 since the longia degree of com Referring now to FIG. 1, the vehicle door structure 12 is shown in a partially opened position. The latch element 21 is in unlatched position as attested to by the fact that a portion of the upstanding leg portion 22 of the latch element 21 is visible through the slot in the casing 31. As the vehicle door is moved to a closed position, the keeper device assembly 14 may be considered as entering the slot 35 where it is engaged by the leg portion 22. As the closing movement of the door continues, a condition is reached as shown in FIG. 2 in which the leg portion 23 of the latch element 21 becomes visible through the slot 35 and begins to encompass the keeper device assembly 14. In the final latched position shown in FIG. 3, the leg 23 of the latch element 21 is in a substantially upright position in which it is capable of preventing withdrawal of the keeper device assembly 14 from the slot 35.

The latch element 21 is held in latched position by a detent means, generally indicated 41. The detent means 41 is journalled on a gudgeon 42 as was the latch element 21. That is, the gudgeon 42 extends through aligned apertures in the support plate 26 and the housing front wall or face 37. The detent means 41 is urged toward the latch element 21 by a spiral spring 43. It will be noted that the detent means 41 at its free end is provided with a stepped portion having a substantially vertically extending abutment edge 44 and a horizontal abutment edge 45.

As the latch element 21 is swung from an unlatched toward a latch position, the upper end of the arm 23 will abut the detent means 41 and urge the latter upwardly about end of the arm 23 of the latch element 21. As soon as the latch element arm 23 slightly passes the abutment edge 44 On the detent means the spring 43 will cause the latter to drop into abutting relation to a curved or arcuate portion 46 on the upper end of the latch element arm 23. The horizontal abutment edge will overlie the upper edge of the latch element 23. It will be obvious from the relationship of the parts as shown in FIG. 3 that, with the detent means in latch element 21 blocking position, the door cannot be pulled to an opened position since the keeper device assembly cannot be withdrawn from the slot 35.

Before the vehicle door can be opened, it is necessary to lift the detent means 41 out of abutting relation to the end of the latch element arm 23. This can be done by rotating the gudgeon 42 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3.

It will be understood that the gudgeon 42 may be operatively associated with a variety of conventional latch mechanism devices for providing rotation thereof upon actuation of the outer door handle mechanism 47 or an inner door mechanism (not shown).

Preferably, the curved pocket 49 between the

legs

22 and 23 of the latch element 21 in fully latched position of the vehicle door will also exert a slight upward pressure on the keeper device assembly thereby causing compression of the sleeve 19 and the annular collar 18 against the upper edge of the slot 35 in the housing. This will assist in holding the vehicle door against vertical vibrations. It also will be noted that the enlarged head 17 of the pin 16 of the keeper device assembly 14 is of a diameter greater than the distance between the

legs

22 and 23 of the latch element 21. This provides the desired protection against disengagement of the keeper device assembly 14 from the latch element 21 in a direction longitudinally of the vehicle body.

It will be understood that this 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. In a door latch mechanism for latching a vehicle door structure to an adjacent vehicle body structure,

its pivot axis out of the path of the upper a support plate adapted to be mounted on the vehicle door structure,

a housing on said support plate with the housing being laterally slotted,

a cylindrical keeper element rigidly mounted on the body structure and adapted to project into said housing slot for movement therealong into a door structure latch position,

a bifurcated latch element,

pivot means mounting said bifurcated latch element between said support plate and said housing for swinging movement about an axis extending longitudinally of the vehicle body.

a detent means pivotally mounted on said support plate between the support plate and the housing for swinging movement about an axis parallelling the latch element axis,

said latch element having a short leg portion extend ing radially of said latch element pivot axis and a longer leg portion laterally offset from said latch element pivot axis,

said latch element leg portions being swingable between latch element latched and unlatched positions between the latch element pivot axis and the detent means pivot axis,

said latch element in unlatched position being angularly inclined with its radially extending short leg portion projecting across the slot in position to abut the keeper device upon movement of the door structure toward closed position,

said longer leg portion passing beneath the keeper device and then upon engagement of the shorter leg portion with the keeper device being swung in a direction to project across the path of relative withdrawal of the keeper device longitudnalnally of said slot,

said detent means having a part extending from the detent means pivot axis and lying in the path of movement of the longer leg portion of the latch element as the latter swings into keeper device withdrawal blocking position,

the longer leg portion upon being swung across the path of the keeper device momentarily abutting and diplacing the detent means and the latter then dropping into the path of said laterally offset leg portion to prevent unlatching movement of said latch element.

2. In a door latch mechanism for latching a vehicle door structure to an adjacent vehicle body structure,

a bifurcated latch element having substantially parallel leg portions,

pivot means mounting said bifurcated element on one of said structures for swing movement about an axis extending longitudinally of the vehicle body,

one of the leg portions extending substantially radially of said pivot axis and the other of the leg portions being laterally offset therefrom,

said laterally offset leg portion having at its extremity a detent means engageable portion,

a keeper element rigidly mounted on the other of said structures,

said keeper element in door latching position being engaged by said latch element between the leg portions of the latter,

and detent means having an abutment portion releasably engageable with the detent means engageable portion of the extremity of the laterally offset leg portion of said latch element to hold the latter in door latched position,

pivot means pivotally mounting said detent means on the same structure as said latch element,

the laterally offset leg portion of said latch element being swingable in unlatching direction of the latch element between said detent means pivot means and the latch element pivot means, said detent means abutment portion when in engagement with said latch element detent means engageable portion lying between said detent means and said latch element extremity. 3. In a door latch mechanism according to claim 2, in which:

the extremity of the laterally offset leg portion abuts the detent means and displaces the later in a direction away from the pivot means of the latch element until fully latched position of the latch element is reached. 4. In a door latch in which:

mechanism according to claim 3 the latch element is coupled to a first spring mean:

urging the latter toward unlatched position,

and the detent means is coupled to a second spring means urging the detent means toward latch element engaging position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner.