Closure fasteners – Bolts – Swinging
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-20
2004-07-13
Sandy, Robert J. (Department: 3677)
Closure fasteners
Bolts
Swinging
C292S201000, C292SDIG002, C292SDIG005
Reexamination Certificate
active
06761383
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority of Korea patent Application No. 2000-70375, filed on Nov. 24, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tailgate latch for vehicles, and more particularly to a tailgate latch for vehicles constructed in simple structure for reduction in the number of parts and assembling processes, thereby decreasing manufacturing cost, improving operational reliability and easing key manipulation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, a door of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as door) is equipped with a door latch for maintaining a closed state and for releasing the closed state to enable the door to be opened. Leisure and sports vehicles such as sports utility vehicles (SUV) and the like are also mounted with latches to their rear doors of tailgates.
As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a latch at a tailgate is equipped with a base plate
10
formed with a bend piece
11
and stoppers
12
and
13
, a housing
20
disposed underneath the base plate
10
for providing an inlet to a striker
21
and for protecting latch parts and for mounting a latch to the tailgate, a bell crank
30
for rotatably being mounted on the base plate
10
via a rivet
40
and formed with a round pin
31
and a press pin
32
, a return spring
41
mounted on the rivet
40
while respectively secured at both ends thereof to the bend piece
11
of the base plate
10
and to the bell crank
30
for pushing the bell crank
30
toward the stopper
12
, a latch plate
50
rotatably formed at the base plate
10
via a rivet
42
while constructed with an upper piece
51
, a middle piece
52
and a lower piece
53
where the middle piece
52
is defined by a round pin
54
pressed by the press piece
32
of the bell crank
30
and the lower piece
53
is formed with a bend
55
, a return spring
43
having both ends each connected to the bend piece
55
of the latch plate
50
and to inner wall surface of the housing and pulling the latch plate
50
toward a direction where the upper piece
51
is brought into contact with the stopper
13
, a key cylinder
60
connected to the round pin
31
of the bell crank
30
and formed with a rotary arm
61
for supplying an action force, an actuator
70
mounted at the base plate
10
and formed with a rotary piece
71
for rotary action with supplied power, and a rod
72
for connecting the rotary piece
71
of the actuator
70
with the upper piece
51
of the latch plate
50
.
When a key is inserted into the key cylinder
60
and to be rotated, the rotary arm
61
is rotated to clockwise rotate the bell crank
30
and the press piece
32
presses the round pin
54
at the latch plate
50
, such that the latch plate
50
is counterclockwise rotated to be introduced through a downward opening of the housing
20
, where the striker
21
hitched at the latch plate
50
is released from restriction to open the tailgate.
Successively, when the key is pulled out of the key cylinder
60
, the latch plate
50
is clockwise rotated by the return spring
43
to return to an original position while the bell crank
30
is also returned to its original position by action where the round pin
54
of the latch plate
50
pushes the press piece
32
and simultaneously by action of the return spring
41
at the bell crank
30
.
Meanwhile, the actuator
70
is operated by switch manipulation of a driver, where, when a switch is turned on, the rotary piece
71
at the actuator
70
is rotated counterclockwise to pull the rod
72
, whereby the latch plate
50
is rotated counterclockwise as pressed by the bell crank
30
to release the restricted state of the striker
21
, thereby operating the tailgate, where return action of the latch plate
50
is made to occur by way of the return spring
43
as described above.
However, there is a problem in the tailgate latch thus described according to the prior art in that the stoppers
12
and
13
are respectively formed at the base plate
10
for restricting the return position of the bell crank
30
and the latch plate
50
and the bend piece
11
is formed for disposition of the return spring
41
at the bell crank
30
, complicating shapes of the base plate
10
while, even though the stoppers
12
and
13
are respectively covered by cushioning rubber covers
14
for alleviating shock when the bell crank
30
and the latch plate
50
are returned, and the bell crank
30
is automatically returned by the return of the latch plate
50
during return operation, the return spring
41
is additionally used to increase the number of parts, thereby increasing the number of assembling process and manufacturing cost.
There is another problem in that the return operation of the bell crank
30
is not properly realized due to decreased durability strength of the return spring
41
at the bell crank
30
, thereby resulting in a poor return operation of the latch plate
50
and abnormal operation of the latch.
There is still another problem in that reaction force of the return spring
41
at the bell crank
30
is generated in addition to that of the return spring
43
at the latch plate
50
, thereby calling for more power for manipulating the key.
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 tailgate latch for vehicles constructed free of bend piece and stoppers for bell crank to simplify the shape of a base plate, thereby reducing the number of rubber covers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tailgate latch for vehicles constructed free of return spring to reduce the number of overall parts and the number of assembling process and manufacturing cost, thereby eliminating abnormal operation of latch due to improper operation of return spring for bell crank.
There is still another object of the present invention to provide a tailgate latch for vehicles constructed free of return spring for bell crank to reduce a key manipulating force.
In accordance with one object of the present invention there is provided a tailgate latch for vehicles, the latch comprising:
a bell crank having a slot; and
a latch plate having a pin movably inserted in the slot and formed to be releasably coupled to a striker mounted at a body of the vehicle, wherein the latch further comprising:
a base plate;
a bell crank rotatably mounted to the base plate;
a return spring for returning the latch plate to its original position;
a key cylinder having a rotary arm for rotating the bell crank; and
an actuator having a rotary piece connected to the latch plate via a rod for rotating the latch plate.
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Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Lugo Carlos
Sandy Robert J.
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