Anti-panic mechanism of vehicle door latch device

• US 20040174022A1
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Inoue, Jiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,913,298 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 292/216
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/32 allowing simultaneous actuation of locking or unlocking elements and a handle, e.g. preventing interference between an unlocking and an unlatching action
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/06 using rotary motors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/16 operating on locking elements for locking or unlocking action
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/34 of geared transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

An anti-panic mechanism comprises a lock lever displaceable between an unlocked position and a locked position, an over center spring urging the lock lever to either side of the unlocked position and locked position with a dead point, an open link displaceable between an engaging position and a non-engaging position, an output member displacing the lock lever by a motor, an anti-panic spring urging the open link toward the engaging position from the non-engaging position, a connecting lever connecting the open link to the lock lever. The connecting lever releases the open link before the lock lever crosses over the dead point of the over center spring when the output member is rotated in the unlocking direction.

Claims

1. An anti-panic mechanism of a vehicle door latch device comprising:

a lock lever for connection to an inside lock button of a door and displaceable between an unlocked position and a locked position;

an over center spring urging the lock lever to either side of the unlocked position and locked position with a dead point thereof as a boundary;

an open link for connection to an outside open handle of the door, said open link displaceable from a standby position to an actuated position by an opening movement of the outside open handle, said open link displaceable between an engaging position in which the opening movement of the outside open handle is transmitted to a ratchet and a non-engaging position in which the opening movement of the outside open handle is not transmitted to the ratchet in response to the displacement of the lock lever to the unlocked position and locked position;

an output member being rotated by power of a motor and displacing the lock lever to the unlocked position and locked position;

an anti-panic spring urging the open link toward the engaging position from the non-engaging position;

a connecting lever holding the open link in the non-engaging position against the elastic force of the anti-panic spring by engaging with the open link, said connecting lever disengaging from the open link by an unlocking rotation of the output member;

wherein said connecting lever is constituted so as to release the open link before the lock lever crosses over the dead point of the over center spring when the output member is rotated in the unlocking direction to shift the lock lever to the unlocked position from the lock position.

2. The anti-panic mechanism of the vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, wherein the open link can continue to stay at the non-engaging position against the elastic force of the anti-panic spring when the lock lever is displaced from the locked position to the unlocked position.

3. The anti-panic mechanism of the vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate link provided between the open link and the lock lever, said intermediate link transmitting the displacement of the lock lever between the unlocked position and the locked position to the open link so as to displace the open link between the engaging position and the non-engaging position.

4. The anti-panic mechanism of the vehicle door latch device according to claim 3, wherein said intermediate link is pivotally mounted on the lock lever.

5. The anti-panic mechanism of the vehicle door latch device according to claim 3, wherein the intermediate link is pivotally mounted on the open link.

6. The anti-panic mechanism of the vehicle door latch device according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting spring holding an engagement between the connecting lever and the open link, and a cam body provided on the output member, wherein said cam body comes into contact with the connecting lever to rotate the connecting lever against the elastic force of the connecting spring when the output member rotates in the unlocking direction from a neutral position.