Latching device for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10781897-B2
Application number	US-201615133983-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2016
Priority date	Jun 17, 2011
Publication date	Sep 22, 2020
Grant date	Sep 22, 2020

Abstract

A latching device (1) for vehicles capable of engaging with and disengaging from a rod-like portion (P1) to lock and unlock the latching device (1) includes: a casing (2) at least partly formed by a first member made of a first material and having an insertion groove (2A) for allowing the rod-like portion to be inserted thereinto; and a second member (latch (30) or reinforcement plate (20)) made of a second material and configured to contact the rod-like portion (P1). The second material has a higher specific gravity and a higher modulus of elasticity than the first material. For example, the first material is resin, whereas the second material is metal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A latching device for vehicles capable of engaging with and disengaging from a rod-shaped portion to lock and unlock the latching device, the latching device comprising:
a casing having an insertion groove for allowing the rod-shaped portion to be inserted thereinto;
a latch;
a ratchet;
wherein the casing comprises:
a resinous casing configured to rotatably support the latch and the ratchet, and
a reinforcement plate provided on the resinous casing to reinforce the resinous casing,
wherein the resinous casing and the reinforcement plate are superposed one on another,

wherein the resinous casing comprises:
upper and lower casings connected to each other, each comprising:
a base portion; and
a side wall portion rising inward from a part of an outer peripheral edge of the base portion along the majority of the periphery of each of the upper and lower casings,

wherein one of the upper and lower casings comprises:
a first shaft configured to protrude from the base portion inward of the resinous casing and to rotatably support the latch;
a first rib protruding from the base portion inward of the resinous casing, the first rib being provided around the first shaft along a direction in which the latch rotates;
a second shaft configured to protrude from the base portion inward of the resinous casing and to rotatably support the ratchet; and
a second rib protruding from the base portion inward of the resinous casing, the second rib being provided around the second shaft along a direction in which the ratchet rotates,

wherein the casing further comprises:
a plurality of reinforcing ribs protruding from the base portion inward of the resinous casing, the plurality of reinforcing ribs being configured to form a grid pattern, having some of the reinforcing ribs to extend to a part of the outer peripheral edge of the base portion at which no side wall portion is provided,
wherein the plurality of reinforcing ribs are connected to the first rib and the second rib,
wherein the latch is rotatably fitted on the first shaft and supported by the resinous casing and having a hook-shaped portion engageable with the rod-shaped portion,
wherein the ratchet is received in the casing and rotatably fitted on the second shaft and supported by the resinous casing and configured to engage with the latch to maintain a closed state in which the latch is engageable with the rod-shaped portion and an open state in which the latch is disengageable from the rod-shaped portion;

a lever member rotatably supported by the latch and configured to engage with the ratchet to transmit a motion of the ratchet to the latch;
an actuation member that operates the ratchet; and
a resinous load-receiving member attached to the reinforcement plate, the resinous load-receiving member having a load-receiving portion and an engagement projection, the load-receiving portion being configured to receive a load from the rod-shaped portion,
wherein the reinforcement plate has a support portion configured to support a force applied from the rod-shaped portion and received by the load-receiving member, and
wherein the support portion is provided at a recess portion of a contour of the reinforcement plate, and
wherein the resinous casing has an engagement hole engageable with the engagement projection of the load-receiving member.

2. The latching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first shaft is formed integrally with the base portion,
wherein the latch has a first hole through which the latch is fitted onto the first shaft, and
wherein the latch is rotatably supported by the resinous casing by an engagement of the first shaft and the first hole.

3. The latching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and
wherein the latching device further comprises a first fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the first shaft and fix the latching device to another device.

4. The latching device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the first shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and
wherein the latching device further comprises a first fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the first shaft and fix the latching device to another device.

5. The latching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the resinous casing has an integrally-formed second shaft which protrudes from the base portion inward of the resinous casing,
wherein the ratchet has a second hole through which the ratchet is fitted onto the second shaft, and
wherein the ratchet is rotatably supported by the resinous casing by an engagement of the second shaft and the second hole.

6. The latching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and
wherein the latching device further comprises a second fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the second shaft and fix the latching device to another device.

7. The latching device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the second shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and
wherein the latching device further comprises a second fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the second shaft and fix the latching device to another device.

8. The latching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and the latching device further comprises a first fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the first shaft and fix the latching device to another device, and
wherein the second shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and the latching device further comprises a second fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the second shaft and fix the latching device to another device.

9. The latching device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the resinous casing has an integrally-formed second shaft which protrudes from the base portion inward of the resinous casing,
wherein the ratchet has a second hole through which the ratchet is fitted onto the second shaft, and
wherein the ratchet is rotatably supported by the resinous casing by an engagement of the second shaft and the second hole.

10. The latching device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the first shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and the latching device further comprises a first fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the first shaft and fix the latching device to another device, and
wherein the second shaft is shaped as a circular tube, and the latching device further comprises a second fixing member configured to penetrate through an inner region of a tube of the second shaft and fix the latching device to another device.

11. The latching device according to claim 1 ,
wherein as viewed from a direction in which a load is applied from the rod-shaped portion, the load-receiving portion is provided between the first shaft and the second shaft.

12. A latching device for vehicles capable of engaging with and disengaging from a rod-shaped portion to lock and unlock the latching device, the latching device comprising:
a casing comprising a resinous casing and a reinforcement plate provided on an outside of the resinous casing to reinforce the resinous casing, wherein the resinous casing and the reinforcement plate are superposed one on another, the resinous casing having a first insertion groove, and the reinforcement plate having a second insertion groove, the first and second insertion grooves being aligned with each other such that the rod-shaped portion is allowed to be inserted into

Assignees

• Ts Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sayama Tatsuo
• Kizawa Yutaka

Classifications

• B60N2/366 Primary

  characterised by the locking device · CPC title

• F16H21/44 Primary

  for conveying or interconverting oscillating or reciprocating motions · CPC title

• B60N2/2245

  provided with a lock mechanism on the upper part of the back-rest · CPC title

• B60N2/01583

  locking on transversal elements on the vehicle floor or rail, e.g. transversal rods · CPC title

• B60N2/01516

  with locking mechanisms · CPC title