Locks – Special application – For automotive vehicles
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2002-10-22
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3676)
Locks
Special application
For automotive vehicles
C292SDIG002, C292SDIG004
Reexamination Certificate
active
06467320
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door locking apparatus of automobile, and more particularly to a door locking apparatus of an automobile adapted to simplify the structure of a link means forming a locking apparatus of a tailgate of the automobile to improve assembly workability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, an automobile is equipped with hinged doors for passengers to get in and to get off therethrough and for cargoes to be loaded and unloaded. One of the doors called a tailgate of life-up type is widely adopted as a rear door of a hatchback style vehicle.
Meanwhile, a locking apparatus at the tailgate includes, as illustrated in
FIG. 1
, an inner handle
12
and an outer handle
14
respectively mounted at an inner and an outer side of the tailgate
10
, a latch
16
for changing a lock-up state of the tailgate
10
to a releaseable state according to manipulation of inner and outer handles
12
and
14
, and first and second link means
18
and
20
for transferring a manipulating force applied from the inner and outer handles
12
and
14
to the latch
16
.
The locking apparatus of the tailgate
10
further includes a locking knob
22
protruded to a lower portion of a door glass
11
to manipulatively maintain a lock-up state of the latch
16
inside an automobile, third link means
24
for transferring the manipulating force applied to the locking knob
22
to the latch
16
and a key assembly
26
for controlling an operation of the third link means
24
at outside of the automobile to operate the latch
16
.
At this time, the first link means
18
for connecting the inner handle
12
to the latch
16
to transfer the manipulating force applied to the inner handle
12
to the latch
16
and the second link means
20
for connecting the outer handle
14
to the latch
16
to transfer the manipulating force applied to the outer handle
14
to the latch
16
have the same structure except that they are directed in the opposite direction.
In other words, the first link means
18
and the second link means
20
are respectively formed with a first rod
28
for being connected to the inner handle
12
and the outer handle
14
, a movable member
32
for connecting the first rod
28
at one end thereof and for connecting at the other end thereof a second rod
30
coupled to the latch
16
and a fixing member
34
fixed to the tailgate
10
for rotatably mounting the movable member
32
as illustrated in FIG.
2
. The movable member
32
and the fixing member
34
are axially coupled each via a rotary shaft
33
, such that the movable member
32
can be rotatably mounted on the fixing member
34
via the rotary shaft
33
.
The fixing member
34
is integrally formed at a tip end thereof with protruders
35
, each one facing the other, to restrict the rotating angle of the movable member
32
.
Unexplained reference numerals
28
a
and
30
a
in the drawing are attachment members for fixing the first and second rod
28
and
30
to the movable member
32
.
When the tailgate
10
is to be opened inside the automobile, the inner handle
12
is manipulated to pull the first rod
28
at the first link means
18
and to rotate the movable member
32
axially supported by the fixing member
34
according to manipulating force applied to the first rod
28
. Successively, the second rod
30
is pushed by the rotation of the movable member
32
and the latch
16
is activated by the manipulating force according to the push of the second rod
30
to open the tailgate
10
.
At this time, the protruder
35
at the fixing member
34
applies a restriction to a certain degree to the movable member
32
rotating about the rotary shaft
33
. This is because the second rod
30
pulled via the first link means by the manipulating force applied to the first rod
28
is forcibly restricted in its moving distance to thereby prevent the latch
16
from receiving an excessive manipulating force.
Furthermore, even when the tailgate
10
is to be opened from outside of the automobile, operations described above are repeated to open the tailgate
10
.
However, there is a problem in the locking apparatus of tailgate
10
thus described according to the prior art in that the manipulating force applied to the inner handle
12
or the outer handle
14
is transmitted via the first link means
18
or the second link means
20
to the latch
16
, making component parts, especially the link member, complicated in construction thereof. This kind of problem may complicate work process and increase manufacturing cost in installing a locking apparatus when the tailgate
10
is assembled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a door locking apparatus of an automobile adapted to enable transmittal of the manipulating force applied respectively from an inner handle and an outer handle to a latch through one link member, thereby simplifying parts comprising the locking apparatus of a tailgate. It is another object of the present invention to provide a door locking apparatus of an automobile adapted to shorten the process when a tailgate is assembled and to reduce manufacturing cost.
In accordance with one object of the present invention, there is provided a door locking apparatus of automobile, the apparatus comprising:
an inner handle mounted inside of a door of the automobile;
an outer handle mounted outside of a door of the automobile;
a locking device for releaseably locking the door; and
link means having a first movable member for receiving a manipulating force of the outer handle to rotate thereby and a second movable member rotated by the first movable member and the inner handle to release the latch under locked state.
In accordance with another object of the present invention, the first movable member and the second movable member are coaxially and rotably mounted on an identical rotary shaft, and the first movable member is arranged at one side thereof with a protruder contacting one side of the second movable member such that, when the first movable member is rotated, the second movable member is rotated in the same direction by the protruder while only the second movable member is rotated when the second movable member is rotated.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5117665 (1992-06-01), Swan et al.
patent: 5947536 (1999-09-01), Mizuki et al.
patent: 6017067 (2000-01-01), Yoneyama et al.
patent: 6338508 (2002-01-01), Kleefeldt
patent: 6343494 (2002-02-01), Roos et al.
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Knight Anthony
Walsh John B.
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