Door latch assembly for motor vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214945-B2
Application number	US-201514601283-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2015
Priority date	Jan 23, 2014
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A door latch assembly is equipped with a latch mechanism, a locking mechanism, an operating mechanism and inside and outside release mechanisms. The locking mechanism includes a release link that is connected to an inside release lever connected to the inside release mechanism. This arrangement permits a vehicle door to be opened from inside the passenger compartment via actuation of the inside release mechanism in the event the outside release mechanism is damaged.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle door latch assembly, comprising:
a housing;
a ratchet moveable within said housing between a striker capture position wherein said ratchet is positioned to retain a striker and a striker release position wherein said ratchet is positioned to release the striker;
a pawl moveable within said housing between a ratchet hold position wherein said pawl is positioned to hold said ratchet in its striker capture position and a ratchet release position wherein said pawl permits movement of said ratchet out of its striker capture position;
a pawl lever coupled for movement with said pawl; and
a locking mechanism including an inside release lever pivotally mounted to said housing and a release link, said inside release lever operatively connected to an inside door handle and moveable between a Rest position and a Released position in response to movement of the inside door handle, said release link coupled to said inside release lever and moveable relative to said inside release lever between an Unlock position and a Lock position in response to actuation of an operating mechanism, wherein movement of said inside release lever between its Rest position and its Released position causes movement of said release link between a Retracted position and an Extended position relative to said pawl lever, and wherein said release link is operable to selectively engage said pawl lever and move said pawl from its ratchet hold position toward its ratchet release position when said release link is positioned in its Unlock position and movement of said inside release lever from its Rest position into its Released position causes said release link to move from its Retracted position into its Extended position.

2. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 1 , wherein said release link is pivotably coupled to said inside release lever in generally parallel relation therewith for movement between its Unlock and Lock positions.

3. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 1 , wherein said release link includes a first end segment, a second end segment, and an elongated intermediate segment therebetween, wherein said second end segment includes an engagement face surface extending a first length, and wherein said intermediate segment includes an external cam surface and a recessed guide slot having a stop shoulder.

4. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 3 , wherein said pawl lever includes an engagement face surface extending a second length being greater than the first length of said engagement face surface of said release link for allowing said release link to engage and move said pawl lever when said release link is moved to its Extended position in response to movement of said inside release lever to its Released position.

5. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 3 , wherein said pawl lever includes an engagement edge surface extending a third length being less than the first length of said engagement surface of said release link for allowing said release link to engage and move said pawl lever when said release link is in its Unlock position and for causing said engagement surface of said release link to be out of alignment with said engagement edge surface of said pawl lever when said release link is in its Lock position.

6. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 3 , wherein said locking mechanism further includes an outside release lever pivotally moveable between a Rest position and a Released position, said outside release lever having a drive flange engaging said stop shoulder of said release link when said release link is in its Unlock position and disengaging said stop shoulder of said release link when said release link is in its Lock position.

7. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 6 further including an outside release mechanism interconnecting an outside door handle to said outside release lever, wherein said outside release mechanism includes a pushrod coupled to said outside release lever for moving said outside release lever from its Rest position to its Released position in response to actuation of the outside door handle.

8. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 3 further including an inside release mechanism interconnecting the inside door handle to said inside release lever, wherein said inside release mechanism includes a release cable assembly having a cable guide member and a release cable engaging said inside release lever for moving said inside release lever between its Rest position and its Released position in response to actuation of the inside door handle.

9. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 3 , wherein said locking mechanism further includes a lock gear pivotally moveable between a Non-Actuated position and an Actuated position by said operating mechanism, said lock gear having a cam projection for causing said release link to pivot from its Unlock position to its Lock position when said cam projection engages said external cam surface on said release link.

10. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 9 , wherein said operating mechanism includes a power-operated actuator unit and a worm gearset, said worm gearset including a worm driving a worm gear, said power-operated actuator unit including an electric motor having a rotary output driving said worm, and wherein said worm gear is fixed to said lock gear for moving said lock gear between its Non-Actuated position and its Actuated position.

11. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 9 further including a lock status switch, wherein said lock gear further includes a switch tab projection for selectively activating said lock status switch when said switch tab projection engages said lock status switch to provide a signal to a centralized door lock control system indicative of the rotated position of said lock gear.

12. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 9 further including a key-less lock mechanism having a key lock knob, a spring-biased key-less lock lever assembly, and an elongated key lock link, wherein said elongated key lock link is coupled with said lock gear and with said key lock knob, and said spring-biased key-less lock lever assembly includes a lock lever pivotally mounted to said outside release lever for securing said lock gear.

13. A vehicle door latch assembly as in claim 1 further including a release link biasing member for biasing said release link toward its Unlock position.

14. A vehicle door latch assembly, comprising:
a ratchet moveable between a striker capture position wherein said ratchet is positioned to retain a striker and a striker release position wherein said ratchet is positioned to release the striker;
a pawl moveable between a ratchet hold position wherein said pawl is positioned to hold said ratchet in its striker capture position and a ratchet release position wherein said pawl permits movement of said ratchet out of its striker capture position;
a pawl lever coupled for movement with said pawl; and
a locking mechanism including an inside release lever, an outside release lever and a release link, said inside release lever is operatively connected to an inside door handle and is moveable between a Rest position and a Released position in response to movement of the inside door handle, said outside release lever is operatively connected to an outside door handle and is moveable between a Rest position and a Released position in response to movement of the outside door handle, said release link is coupled to said inside release lever and is moveable between an Unlock position and a Lock position in response to actuation of an operating mechanism, wherein movement of said inside release lev

Assignees

• Magna Closures Inc

Inventors

• Cetnar Roman

Classifications

• E05B81/16

  operating on locking elements for locking or unlocking action · CPC title

• E05B81/36

  Geared sectors, e.g. fan-shaped gears · CPC title

• Y10T292/108

  Lever · CPC title

• E05B77/30

  allowing opening by means of an inner door handle, even if the door is locked · CPC title

• E05B77/02 Primary

  for accident situations · CPC title