Vehicle door latch safety sensor arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11767692-B2
Application number	US-201816184562-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2018
Priority date	Nov 9, 2017
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle door latch safety sensor arrangement includes a vehicle body, a door coupled to the vehicle body, a latch arrangement and a sensor arrangement including a door sensor and configured to sense when the door is in the closed position, a latch sensor configured to sense when a latch member is in the engaged position, and a handle sensor configured to sense when a handle is in the closed position, and a controller operably coupled to the sensors and configured to provide feedback to the operator of at least one of (a) whether the door is in a closed position, the latch member is in an engaged position and the handle member is in a locked position, and (b) whether at least one of the door is in an open position, the latch member is in a disengaged position, and the handle member is in the an unlocked position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle arrangement, comprising:
a vehicle body;
first and second doors, wherein each door is operably coupled to the vehicle body and moveable between an open position and a closed position and wherein the first and second doors are configured such that the first door must be moved to the closed position before the second door can be moved from the open position to the closed position in order to properly close the first and second doors;
a latch arrangement associated with each door, each latch arrangement comprising:
a latch member moveable between an engaged position where the latch member operably engages the vehicle body preventing the associated door from being moved from the closed position to the open position, and a disengaged position where the latch member is operably disengaged from the vehicle body thereby allowing the associated door to be moved from the closed position to the open position; and
a handle member disposed on an outside of the associated door, wherein the handle member is configured to be grasped by an operator from outside the vehicle body while the associated door is closed, and operably coupled to the latch member, the handle member moveable between a first position where the latch member is in the engaged position and a second position where the latch member is in the disengaged position, wherein the handle member is moveable between a locked position where the handle member is operably engaged with at least one of the associated door and the vehicle body thereby preventing the handle member from being moved from the first position to the second position and an unlocked position where the handle member is operably disengaged from the associated door and the vehicle body thereby allowing the handle member to be moved from the first position to the second position;

a sensor arrangement associated with each door, each sensor arrangement comprising:
a door sensor located proximate the associated door and configured to sense when the associated door is in the closed position;
a latch sensor located proximate the first latch member and configured to sense when the latch member is in the engaged position; and
a handle sensor located proximate the handle member and configured to sense when the handle member is in the locked position; and

a controller operably coupled to the door, latch and handle sensors, wherein the controller is configured to provide a warning if the latch sensor senses that the latch member is in the engaged position before the door sensor senses that the door is in the closed position and, wherein the controller is further configured to provide a warning if the handle sensor senses that the handle is in the locked position before at least one of the latch sensor senses the latch member is in the engaged position and the door sensor senses that the associated door is in the closed position.

2. The vehicle arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the handle members are configured to pivot in a first direction as the latch members are moved from the disengaged position to the engaged position, and wherein the handle members are configured to pivot in a second direction that is different from the first direction as the handle members are moved from the unlocked position to the locked position.

3. The vehicle arrangement of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the door sensors includes a proximity switch.

4. The vehicle arrangement of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the latch sensors includes a proximity switch.

5. The vehicle arrangement of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the handle sensors includes a proximity switch.

6. The vehicle arrangement of claim 1 , wherein each latch member is one of two latch members associated with each of the first and second doors, wherein one of the two latch members is positioned proximate an upper edge of the associated door and the other of the two latch members is positioned proximate a lower edge of the associated door.

7. The vehicle arrangement of claim 6 , wherein the two latch members are operably coupled to one another via a link member extending therebetween, and wherein the handle member is pivotably coupled to the link member.

8. A semitrailer comprising the vehicle arrangement of claim 1 .

9. A method for sensing proper door latching, comprising:
providing a vehicle body;
providing a door operably coupled to the vehicle body and moveable between an open position and a closed position;
providing a latch arrangement, comprising:
a latch member moveable between an engaged position where the latch member operably engages the vehicle body preventing the door from being moved from the closed position to the open position, and a disengaged position where the latch member is operably disengaged from the vehicle body thereby allowing the door to be moved from the closed position to the open position; and
a handle member disposed on an outside of the door, wherein the handle member is configured to be grasped by an operator from outside the vehicle body while the door is closed, and operably coupled to the latch member, the handle member moveable between a first position where the latch member is in the engaged position and a second position where the latch member is in the disengaged position, wherein the handle member is moveable between a locked position where the handle member is operably engaged with at least one of the door and the vehicle body thereby preventing the handle member from being moved from the first position to the second position and an unlocked position where the handle member is operably disengaged from the door and the vehicle body thereby allowing the handle member to be moved from the first position to the second position;

providing a sensor arrangement, comprising:
a door sensor located proximate the door and configured to sense when the door is in the closed position;
a latch sensor located proximate the latch member and configured to sense when the latch member is in the engaged position; and
a handle sensor located proximate the handle member and configured to sense when the handle member is in the locked position; and

providing a controller operably coupled to the door, latch and handle sensors;
sensing whether the door is in the closed position and communicating the same with the controller;
sensing whether the latch is in the engaged position and communicating the same with the controller;
sensing whether the handle member is in the locked position and communicating the same with the controller; and
providing a warning if the latch sensor senses that the latch member is in the engaged position before the door sensor senses that the door is in the closed position.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of providing a warning includes providing the warning to an operator if the handle sensor senses that the handle is in the locked position before at least one of the latch sensor senses the latch member is in the engaged position and the door sensor senses that the door is in the closed position.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the latch member is one of a plurality of latch members, wherein the latch sensor is one of a plurality of latch sensors, and wherein each latch sensor of the plurality of latch sensors is configured to sense whether a corresponding one of the latch members is in the engaged position.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the door is one of two doors, and wherein the door sensor is one of two door sensors that are configured to sense whether each of the two doors are in the closed position.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the doors are configured such that one door must

Assignees

• Saf Holland Inc

Inventors

• Schutt Randy L

Classifications

• E05B83/10 Primary

  Rotary bars · CPC title

• E05B81/64 Primary

  Monitoring or sensing, e.g. by using switches or sensors · CPC title

• E05B81/66

  the bolt position, i.e. the latching status · CPC title

• E05B81/70

  the wing position · CPC title