Closure fasteners – Bolts – Swinging
Utility Patent
1998-12-28
2001-01-02
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Closure fasteners
Bolts
Swinging
C292S216000, C292S225000, C292SDIG002
Utility Patent
active
06168216
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle door latch device, and more specifically relates to a door latch device suitable for a door which is swingably hinged to a vehicle body.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,425 describes a vehicle door latch device comprising a latch unit which keeps a door in a door-closed state, and a powered closing unit which supplies the power for fully closing the door to the latch unit. The latch unit comprises a latch which is rotatable from an unlatched position through a half-latched position to a full-latched position by an engagement with a striker fixed to the vehicle body, and an opening lever which is connected to an opening handle of the door and releases the engagement between the latch and the striker. The powered closing unit comprises a motor, a winch lever which is operatively connected to the latch through a flexible power wire and is turned by the motor, and a safety mechanism which can release the connection between the winch lever and the motor. The safety mechanism is connected to the opening lever through a rod.
As a problem to be solved of the prior art device, there is such a problem that since the safety mechanism and the opening lever are connected by a safety rod, the assembly is troublesome and the degree of freedom in the installation position of the powered closing unit is small. Furthermore, since the safety rod and the power wire which are extending from the powered closing unit are respectively extending in different directions, the assembly of the latch device is further troublesome.
Furthermore, previously, a door latch unit having a “one-motion door opening mechanism” by which an opening operation of an inside opening handle of the door simultaneously performs the opening of the door and the returning to the unlocked state of the lock mechanism when the lock mechanism is in the locked state, has been well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,754 discloses a door latch unit which comprises a latch rotatable from an unlatched position through a half-latched position to a full-latched position by an engagement with a striker fastened to the vehicle body, a ratchet preventing the latch from returning from the half-latched position or the full-latched to the unlatched position by the engagement with the latch, an opening lever connected to an outside opening handle of the vehicle door, a lock mechanism having an unlocked state where the rotation of the opening lever is transmitted to the ratchet and a locked state where the rotation of the opening lever is not transmitted to the ratchet, and an inner lever connected to an inside opening handle of the vehicle door. The inner lever can come into contact with the ratchet so that a rotation of the inner lever can be transmitted to the ratchet without through the lock mechanism. The lock mechanism is arranged so as to be restored to the unlocked state when the inner lever is turned while the lock mechanism is in the locked state.
If the powered closing unit proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,425 is relevantly is used in the latch unit with the one-motion door opening mechanism, this causes such a problem that the safety mechanism for interrupting the operation of the powered closing unit is actuated by the opening operation of the outside opening handle but is not actuated by the inside opening handle. Because the opening lever of the latch unit provided with the one-motion door opening mechanism is rotated by the opening operation of the outside opening handle but is not rotated by the opening operation of the inside opening handle.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,115 discloses a door latch unit which comprises a latch body fixed to a rear end portion of the door and having a recess on a front side thereof, a latch rotatably contained in the recess with a latch shaft having a shaft center in a given direction and rotatable from an unlatched position through a half-latched position to a full-latched position by an engagement with a striker fixed to a vehicle body, a latch spring urging the latch from the full-latched position toward the unlatched position, a ratchet rotatably contained in the recess with a ratchet shaft in parallel with the latch shaft and preventing the latch from returning from the half-latched position or the full-latched position to the unlatched position by an engagement with the latch, a switch attached to the latch body for detecting a rotational position of the latch, a wire lever rotatably attached to the latch body with a wire shaft in parallel with the latch shaft and causing the latch to turn from the half-latched position to the full-latched position when rotated, a return spring urging the wire lever toward an initial position.
Generally, it is a proposition in a latch unit to reduce a thickness of an upper portion of the latch unit in a front-and-rear direction thereof. The large thickness in the front-and-rear direction of the latch unit causes problems that the weight of the unit is naturally increased and that the latch unit is easily apt to interfere with the glass rail which slidably holds both sides of a window glass of the door, and therefore the degree of freedom in the total design of the door is lowered. On this point, it would be said that the latch unit described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,115 effectively uses the thickness of the latch body since the wire lever is arranged in the recess of the latch body, but on the other hand, the vertical length of the latch body is made to be longer in order to contain the wire lever in the recess. The long latch body is apt to interfere with the inclined glass rail (refer to FIG.
13
), and the weight also becomes heavier. In addition, it can also be pointed out that in this conventional latch unit, the thickness in the front-and-rear direction of the latch body itself is thick. That is, a bottom wall of the recess of the latch body is thicker than that required for the latch body in strength. This is caused since the bottom wall has a space or a groove, for containing a latch springs, which is formed by using the thickness. The thickness actually required in strength is the rest subtracted the thickness corresponding to the groove from the thickness of the unit.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,761 discloses a latch unit in which the wire lever is arranged on the rear side of the latch body. This conventional latch unit has a thick bottom wall of the latch body similarly to the latch unit described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,115.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door latch device in which a connection between a latch unit and a powered closing unit is easy.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a door latch device with a one-motion door opening mechanism in which a safety mechanism of the powered closing unit can be actuated by an inside opening handle of the door.
Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle door latch device having a latch unit in which thickness of an upper portion thereof is reduced.
A still another object, feature, and advantage of the present invention are clarified by understanding the following detailed description by referring to the appended drawings.
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patent: 5181754 (1993-01-01), Shibata
patent: 5288115 (1994-02-01), Inoue et al.
patent: 5520425 (1996-05-01), Dowling
patent: 5564761 (1996-10-01), Mizuki et al.
patent: 5632515 (1997-05-01), Dowling
patent: 5722706 (1998-03-01), Bartel et al.
patent: 5732988 (1998-03-01), Mizuki
Ishigaki Hiroshi
Nakajima Manabu
Yokomori Kazuhito
Browdy and Neimark
Browne Lynne H.
Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Walsh John B.
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