Toggle latch mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268296-B2
Application number	US-202016777970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2020
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A toggle latch device translates a first push and release of a button to a locking pin translation from retracted to extended from within a housing. A second push and release of the button reverses the locking pin translation from extended to retracted back within the housing. The latch button remains desirably flush with the housing after each push and release. The translation of the latch button and that of the locking pin is angularly displaced by 90 degrees allowing the toggle latch device to employ a unique lever system which includes a buckling spring combined with a reversing hat which forces the locking pin in each of extension and retraction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A toggle latch device, comprising:
a housing having a Y axis and an X axis, the X axis normal to the Y axis;
a locking pin configured for an X axis translation within a pin conduit within the housing, the locking pin having a locked position extending from the housing and a retracted position within the housing, the locking pin having a locking end extendable from the housing and a slide end opposite the locking end within the housing;
a button configured for a Y axis translation within a button conduit within the housing, the button having a flush position flush with the housing and an activation position within the housing, a motion of the button from the flush position to the activation position within the Y axis translation;
at least one button spring biased for extension of the button to the flush position;
a piston having a button end and a rod end, the button end rigidly coupled with the button, the piston limited to the Y axis translation within a piston conduit within the housing;
a rod having a piston end and a crank end, the piston end rotationally coupled with the rod end of the piston via a wrist pin, the crank end configured with a rod spring housing;
a crank having an arc end and a shaft end, the arc end rotationally coupled with the rod on the crank end of the rod via a crank pin, the shaft end rotationally coupled with the housing via a shaft, the crank configured for a crank rotation about the shaft;
the crank having a crank axis aligning the shaft and the crank pin, the rod having a rod axis aligning the wrist pin and the crank pin;
a slide rigidly coupled with the locking pin, the slide having a crank pin extension channel, the slide configured for the X axis translation within a slide channel within the housing;
the crank pin rotationally coupling each of the rod, the crank, and a crank pin extension extending within the crank pin extension channel, the crank pin extension slidably coupled with the crank pin extension channel, the crank pin extension configured for the Y axis translation within the crank pin extension channel;
a hat rotatably coupled with the housing via a hat pin, the hat having a hat spring housing, the hat limited in rotation about the hat pin, the hat having a positive position corresponding to the locking pin retracted position and a negative position corresponding to the locking pin locked position;
a buckling spring having a fixed end and a hat end, the buckling spring rigidly coupled with the rod spring housing on the fixed end, the buckling spring including a knuckle rigidly coupled with the hat end, the knuckle slidably coupled with and inserted within the hat spring housing, the knuckle having a positive force position and a negative force position within the hat housing, the buckling spring configured for asserting a buckling spring force on the crank end of the rod, the buckling spring force along the X axis and one of: a positive buckling spring force corresponding to the locking pin retracted position and a negative buckling spring force corresponding to the locking pin extended position;
wherein, with the locking pin in the retracted position:
a first positive translation of the button causes a rotation of the crank aligning the crank axis with the Y axis positively translating the locking pin; and
a first negative translation of the button allows the positive buckling spring force to force the arc end of the crank to positively comply with the positive buckling spring force positively translating the locking pin to the locked position causing the knuckle to slide to the negative force position, the knuckle causing the hat to rotate to the negative position;
a second positive translation of the button causes the rotation of the crank aligning the crank axis with the Y axis negatively translating the locking pin; and
a second negative translation of the button allows the negative buckling spring force to force the arc end of the crank to negative comply with the negative buckling spring force negatively translating the locking pin to the retracted position causing the knuckle to slide to the positive force position, the knuckle causing the hat to rotate to the positive position.

2. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the housing, the locking pin, the rod, and the crank are each comprised of a high strength material.

3. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the slide channel, the knuckle, and the hat spring housing are of a friction reducing material.

4. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the toggle latch device is specifically configured for use onboard an aircraft within an aircraft oven.

5. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein an angular rotation of the rod is limited to approximately 50 degrees.

6. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein an angular rotation of the crank is limited to approximately 147 degrees.

7. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein an angular rotation of the hat is limited to approximately 20 degrees.

8. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the Y axis translation of the button is approximately equal to the Y axis translation of the crank pin.

9. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein a size of the crank pin extension is slightly smaller than a size of the crank pin extension channel.

10. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the button is further configured to maintain the flush position relative to a vehicle skin housing.

11. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein approximately four times the Y axis translation of the button is approximately equal to the X axis translation of the locking pin.

12. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the buckling spring is further configured to reach a compression less than a maximum compression as the crank axis is aligned with the Y axis.

13. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the hat maintains the positive position until the locking pin reaches a position approximately equal with the locked position.

14. The toggle latch device of claim 1 , wherein the hat maintains the negative position until the locking pin reaches a position approximately equal with the retracted position.

Assignees

• Be Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Hoogland Frank

Classifications

• E05B1/0038 Primary

  Sliding handles, e.g. push buttons (E05B13/105 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E05B15/10

  Bolts of locks or night latches {(made of hard materials, e.g. to prevent sawing E05B15/1614; lengthwise adjustable E05B63/06)} · CPC title

• E05B15/006

  Spring-biased ball or roller entering a notch · CPC title

• E05B15/0053

  means providing a stable, i.e. indexed, position of lock parts · CPC title

• E05C1/065

  flush · CPC title