Universal global latch system

• US 10,316,553 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2016
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Krishnan, Venkatesh, Papanikolaou, Kosta
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US15/001,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20160138306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 292201, 292215, 292DIG 23
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 17/0004 Lock assembling or manufacturing making locksmith's goods of sheet metal B21D53/38; assembling in general B23P21/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/26 specially adapted for child safety
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/28 for anti-theft purposes, e.g. double-locking or super-locking
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/06 using rotary motors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/58 including time control, e.g. for controlling run-time of electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/90 Manual override in case of power failure
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/36 Locks for passenger or like doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 3/124 with latch under compression force between its pivot and the striker E05C3/122, E05C3/14, E05C3/16 and E05B65/0852 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 3/14 with operating handle or equivalent member rigid with the latch E05C3/122 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A powered latch system for a door of a vehicle including a latch assembly, actuatable inside and outside handles, a powered actuator and a door controller that causes the powered actuator to unlatch the latch assembly upon actuation of the inside and outside door handles. The latch assembly may be mechanically unlatched by a user within a vehicle interior even if the powered actuator does not actuate due to a loss of electrical power or other failure. The controller can be programmed to unlatch the latch assembly according to various criteria as required to meet the specific requirements of different markets.

Claims

1. A door latch system for vehicle doors, said door latch system comprising:

a controller;

a latch assembly configured to maintain a vehicle door in a closed position when the latch assembly is latched, and the latch assembly configured to permit opening of the vehicle door when the latch assembly is unlatched, the latch assembly including a catch and a pawl, the catch having a closed position wherein the catch is configured to grasp a portion of a vehicle to maintain a vehicle door in a closed position and the catch is configured to have an open position wherein the catch is configured to release the portion of the vehicle to allow the vehicle door to move to an open position, the pawl being configured to maintain the catch in the closed position when the pawl is in a latched position, and permit movement of the catch from the closed position to the opened position when the pawl is in an unlatched position;

an actuatable inside handle movable from a rest position to an actuated position;

an inside release switch that is actuated when the inside handle is actuated, wherein the inside release switch is configured to send a signal to the controller when the inside release switch is actuated;

a linkage assembly mechanically interconnecting the inside handle to the latch assembly such that a single pull of the inside handle from the rest position to the actuated position moves the pawl from the latched position to the unlatched position to permit manual mechanical unlatching of the latch assembly without actuation of a powered actuator and without additional user action if the vehicle does not have electrical power;

an electrically powered actuator operably connected to the pawl and selectively shifting the pawl from the latched position to the unlatched position when the electrically powered actuator is actuated;

and wherein, the controller is configured to actuate the electrically powered actuator to unlatch the latch assembly when the controller receives a signal from the inside release switch if the vehicle has power.

2. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the electrically powered actuator interacts directly with the pawl.

3. The motor vehicle of claim 2, wherein:

the pawl includes an arm; and

the electrically powered actuator engages the arm to move the pawl when the electrically powered actuator is actuated.

4. The motor vehicle of claim 3, wherein:

the pawl is biased towards the latched position.

5. The motor vehicle of claim 4, wherein:

the latch assembly includes a latch housing;

the pawl is rotatably coupled to the latch housing.

6. The motor vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to define a double locked state; and

the controller does not actuate the electrically powered actuator to unlatch the door if the controller is in the double locked state.

7. A door latch system for vehicle doors, said door latch system comprising:

a controller;

a latch assembly configured to maintain a vehicle door in a closed position when the latch assembly is latched, and the latch assembly configured to permit opening of the vehicle door when the latch assembly is unlatched, the latch assembly including a catch and a pawl, the catch having a closed position wherein the catch is configured to grasp a portion of a vehicle to maintain a vehicle door in a closed position and the catch is configured to have an open position wherein the catch is configured to release the portion of the vehicle to allow the vehicle door to move to an open position, the pawl being configured to maintain the catch in the closed position when the pawl is in a latched position, and permit movement of the catch from the closed position to the opened position when the pawl is in an unlatched position;

an actuatable inside handle movable from a rest position to an actuated position;

an inside release switch that is actuated when the inside handle is actuated, wherein the inside release switch is configured to send a signal to the controller when the inside release switch is actuated;

a linkage assembly mechanically interconnecting the inside handle to the latch assembly such that a single pull of the inside handle from the rest position to the actuated position moves the pawl from the latched position to the unlatched position to permit manual mechanical unlatching of the latch assembly without actuation of a powered actuator and without additional user action if the vehicle does not have electrical power;

an electrically powered actuator operably connected to the pawl and selectively shifting the pawl from the latched position to the unlatched position when the electrically powered actuator is actuated;

the controller is configured to actuate the electrically powered actuator to unlatch the latch assembly when the controller receives a signal from the inside release switch if the vehicle has power;

the linkage assembly includes a coupling lever movable between locked and unlocked positions, and wherein movement of the inside handle does not mechanically move the pawl when the coupling lever is in the locked position; and

wherein

an electromagnetic lock configured to selectively move the coupling lever from the locked position to the unlocked position to allow actuation of the inside handle to mechanically move the pawl.

8. A door latch system for vehicle doors, said door latch system comprising:

a controller;

a latch assembly configured to maintain a vehicle door in a closed position when the latch assembly is latched, and the latch assembly configured to permit opening of the vehicle door when the latch assembly is unlatched, the latch assembly including a catch and a pawl, the catch having a closed position wherein the catch is configured to grasp a portion of a vehicle to maintain a vehicle door in a closed position and the catch is configured to have an open position wherein the catch is configured to release the portion of the vehicle to allow the vehicle door to move to an open position, the pawl being configured to maintain the catch in the closed position when the pawl is in a latched position, and permit movement of the catch from the closed position to the opened position when the pawl is in an unlatched position;

an actuatable inside handle movable from a rest position to an actuated position;

an inside release switch that is actuated when the inside handle is actuated, wherein the inside release switch is configured to send a signal to the controller when the inside release switch is actuated;

a linkage assembly mechanically interconnecting the inside handle to the latch assembly such that a single pull of the inside handle from the rest position to the actuated position moves the pawl from the latched position to the unlatched position to permit manual mechanical unlatching of the latch assembly without actuation of a powered actuator and without additional user action if the vehicle does not have electrical power;

an electrically powered actuator operably connected to the pawl and selectively shifting the pawl from the latched position to the unlatched position when the electrically powered actuator is actuated;

the controller is configured to actuate the electrically powered actuator to unlatch the latch assembly when the controller receives a signal from the inside release switch if the vehicle has power;

the linkage assembly includes a coupling lever movable between locked and unlocked positions, and wherein movement of the inside handle does not mechanically move the pawl when the coupling lever is in the locked position, wherein the coupling lever is biased towards the unlocked position; and

wherein

an electromagnetic lock that retains the coupling lever in the locked position when the electromagnetic lock has electrical power, and wherein the electromagnetic lock releases the coupling lever when the electromagnetic lock does not have electrical power so that the coupling lever automatically moves to the unlocked position if electrical power is not supplied to the electromagnetic lock.