Door locking system for motor vehicle

• US 20040245786A1
• Filed: 06/09/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Corp., Ansei Corporation
• Original Assignee: Shiroki Corporation (Aisin Corp.), Ansei Corporation
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Shigeru, Sahashi, Yasunori, Hashiba, Yasuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,988,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 292/216
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/14 operating on bolt detents, e.g. for unlatching the bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/54 Electrical circuits for locking several wings simultaneously E05B77/48
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/66 the bolt position, i.e. the latching status
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/16 Locks for luggage compartments, car boot lids or car bonnets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/23 Vehicle door latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

A door locking system for a motor vehicle includes a striker fixed to one of a car body and a car door, a base plate fixed to the other of the car body and the car door, the base plate having a striker leading slot in which the striker is removably insertable, a latch for latching the striker, the latch being pivoted on the base plate on one side of the striker leading slot, a pawl for locking and unlocking the latch, the pawl being pivoted on the base plate on the other side of the striker leading slot, a rotary pressing member driven to rotate the pawl to disengage the latch from the striker, and a rotatable opening lever which is manually rotated to disengage the latch. The rotary pressing member and the rotatable opening lever are pivoted about a common rotational shaft.

Claims

1. A door locking system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a striker fixed to one of a car body and a car door;

a base plate fixed to the other of said car body and said car door, said base plate having a striker leading slot in which said striker is removably insertable;

a latch for latching said striker, said latch being pivoted on said base plate on one of opposite sides of said striker leading slot;

a pawl for locking and unlocking said latch, said pawl being pivoted on said base plate on the other of said opposite sides of said striker leading slot;

a rotary pressing member driven by a motor to rotate said pawl in a lock release direction to disengage said latch so that said latch releases said striker; and

a rotatable opening lever which is rotated by a manual operation to rotate said pawl in said lock release direction to disengage said latch;

wherein said rotary pressing member and said rotatable opening lever are pivoted about a common rotational shaft.

2. The door locking system according to claim 1, further comprising a motor housing for housing said motor, said motor housing being made of synthetic resin mold;

wherein said rotational shaft is formed integral with said motor housing; and

wherein said base plate includes a support portion which supports a tip of said rotational shaft to be supported by said base plate when the motor housing is fixed to said base plate.

3. The door locking system according to claim 2, wherein said support portion of the base plate comprises a support hole into which a tip of said rotational shaft is fitted.

4. The door locking system according to claim 2, wherein said opening lever is supported on the rotational shaft to be held between the base plate and the rotary pressing member.

5. The door locking system according to claim 2, wherein said tip of said rotational shaft comprises a small-diameter tip portion;

and wherein said opening lever is supported on the rotational shaft to be held between the base plate and an annular stepped portion formed around the base of said small-diameter tip portion.

6. The door locking system according to claim 2, wherein said support portion of the base plate comprises a support boss into which a hole formed on said tip of said rotational shaft is fitted.

7. The door locking system according to claim 1, wherein said rotary pressing member and said rotatable opening lever are rotatable relative to each other about said rotational shaft.

8. The door locking system according to claim 1, wherein said rotary pressing member comes into contact with an engaging portion of said pawl to press said engaging portion when said rotary pressing member rotates said pawl in said lock release direction, said engaging portion being formed as a bent engaging portion.

9. The door locking system according to claim 8, wherein said rotary pressing member comprises a lock release cam, a cam surface of which is shaped so that a distance between the cam surface and an axis of rotation of said rotary pressing member increases gradually.

10. The door locking system according to claim 9, wherein said bent engaging portion comprises:

a linear portion which extends in a radial direction of said axis of rotation of said pawl; and

an inclined portion which extends obliquely with respect to said linear portion from an end of said linear portion;

wherein said cam surface of said lock release cam first presses said inclined portion and subsequently presses said linear portion when said rotary pressing member rotates said pawl in said lock release direction to disengage said latch from said striker.

11. The door locking system according to claim 10, wherein said rotary pressing member and said rotatable opening lever are freely rotatable about said rotational shaft relative to each other;

and

wherein said rotatable opening lever comes into contact with said linear portion to press said linear portion when said rotatable opening lever rotates said pawl in said lock release direction.

12. The door locking system according to claim 9, wherein said cam surface of said lock release cam is shaped so that said distance between said cam surface and said axis of rotation of said rotary pressing member increases gradually in a rotational direction thereof.

13. The door locking system according to claim 1, further comprising a luggage compartment lamp switch having a stationary terminal strip serving as a positive electrode and a movable terminal strip serving as a negative electrode;

wherein said movable terminal strip is in contact with said stationary terminal strip when said striker is disengaged from said latch; and

wherein said movable terminal strip is disengaged from said stationary terminal strip when said striker is engaged with said latch.

14. The door locking system according to claim 13, further comprising a motor housing for housing said motor, said motor housing being fixed to said base plate;

wherein one end of said movable terminal strip is fixed to said motor housing.

15. The door locking system according to claim 14, further comprising a pair of terminal strips for supplying power to said motor;

wherein said pair of terminal strips and said stationary terminal strip are formed integral with said motor housing by insertion molding; and

wherein one of said pair of terminal strips which serves as a negative electrode is electrically connected with said movable terminal strip.

16. The door locking system according to claim 15, wherein said one end of said movable terminal strip and said one of said pair of terminal strips are fixed to said base plate by a set screw which is also used to fix said motor housing to said base plate.

17. The door locking system according to claim 14, wherein said motor housing comprises a holding device for temporarily holding said movable terminal strip before said motor housing is fixed to said base plate.

18. The door locking system according to claim 17, wherein said holding device comprises:

a groove provided on said motor housing in which said one end of said movable terminal strip that is fixed to said motor housing is positioned; and

two protrusions formed on said motor housing on opposite side surfaces of said groove to hold a portion of said movable terminal strip in the vicinity of said one end of said movable terminal strip between said two protrusions.

19. The door locking system according to claim 1, wherein said car door comprises one of a trunk lid and a tailgate.

20. The door locking system according to claim 1, wherein said rotary pressing member comprises a worm gear which is engaged with a worm gear of a worm on a rotary shaft of said motor.

21. The door locking system according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member for biasing said rotary pressing member in a rotational direction opposite to a rotational direction in which said rotary pressing member is driven by said motor.

22. The door locking system according to claim 21, wherein said biasing member comprises a torsion coil spring installed between said motor housing and said rotary pressing member around said rotational shaft.

23. The door locking system according to claim 1, further comprising a spring for biasing said pawl and said latch to rotate in opposite rotational directions so as to engage with each other.

24. A door locking system for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a striker fixed to one of a car body and a car door;

a base plate fixed to the other of said car body and said car door, said base plate having a striker leading slot in which said striker is removably insertable;

a latch for latching said striker, said latch being pivoted on said base plate on one of opposite sides of said striker leading slot;

a pawl for locking and unlocking said latch, said pawl being pivoted on said base plate on the other of said opposite sides of said striker leading slot;

a motor which rotates a worm fixed to a rotary shaft of said motor;

a cam-integrated worm wheel associated with said worm to be driven by said motor, wherein a lock release cam formed integral with said cam-integrated worm wheel presses said pawl to rotate said pawl in a lock release direction to disengage said latch so that said latch releases said striker when said cam-integrated worm wheel is driven by said motor; and

a rotatable opening lever which is rotated by a manual operation to rotate said pawl in said lock release direction to disengage said latch so that said latch releases said striker;

wherein said cam-integrated worm wheel and said rotatable opening lever are pivoted about a common rotational shaft.