ELECTRICAL VEHICLE LATCH

• US 20140175813A1
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Closures Company Limited (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Closures Company Limited (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Margheritti, Enrico, Cumbo, Francesco
• Granted Patent: US 9,353,556 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 292/201
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/34 Protection against weather or dirt, e.g. against water ingress closures or guards for keyholes E05B17/14
• 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 81/54 Electrical circuits for locking several wings simultaneously E05B77/48
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/56 Control of actuators
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/02 Lock casings
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/243 with a bifurcated bolt
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/26 Cooperation between bolts and detents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

An electrical vehicle latch including a support assembly, a releasable closure mechanism carried by the support assembly and adapted to releasably engage a striker, an electrically-operated actuator assembly carried by the support assembly and which can be selectively activated to release the closure mechanism from the striker or to lock the closure mechanism in a condition of engagement with the striker, and an electrical control unit having a printed circuit board for controlling operation of the actuator assembly. The support assembly including a first support body carrying at least a ratchet of the closure mechanism in a position parallel to a first plane (P1), and a second support body carrying at least the printed circuit board in a position parallel to a second plane (P2) transvere to the first plane (P1).

Claims

1. An electrical vehicle latch (1) comprising:

a support assembly (2);

a releasable closure mechanism (3) carried by said support assembly (2) and adapted to releasably engage a striker (4);

an electrically-operated actuator assembly (5) carried by said support assembly (2) and which can be selectively activated to release said closure mechanism (3) from said striker (4) or to lock said closure mechanism (3) in a condition of engagement with the striker (4); and

an electrical control unit (6) comprising a printed circuit board (7) for controlling operation of said actuator assembly (5);

wherein said closure mechanism (3) comprises;

a ratchet (15) movable between a release position, wherein the ratchet (15) is positioned to receive or release said striker (4), and at least one lock position, wherein the ratchet (15) is positioned to retain said striker (4); and

a releasable locking mechanism (16) cooperating with said ratchet (15) to prevent disengagement between the striker (4) and the ratchet (15); and

wherein said support assembly (2) comprises a first support body (8) carrying at least said ratchet (15) in a position parallel to a first plane (P1); and

a second support body (9) carrying at least said printed circuit board (7) in a position parallel to a second plane (P2) transverse to said first plane (P1).

2. The latch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locking mechanism (16) further comprises:

a primary pawl (25) movable between a ratchet checking position, wherein the primary pawl (25) is positioned to keep said ratchet (15) in the lock position, and a ratchet release position, wherein the primary pawl (25) permits the movement of said ratchet (15) out of said lock position;

an auxiliary ratchet (26) operatively connected to said primary pawl (25) and movable between an enabling position, in which the primary pawl (25) is enabled to move to its ratchet checking position, and a disabling position, in which the auxiliary ratchet (26) positions the primary pawl (25) to its ratchet release position; and

a secondary pawl (27) movable between an auxiliary ratchet holding position, in which the secondary pawl (27) is positioned to hold said auxiliary ratchet (26) in its enabling position, and an auxiliary ratchet release position, in which the secondary pawl (27) is positioned to permit movement of said auxiliary ratchet (26) to its disabling position.

3. The latch as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said first and second support body (8, 9) has a reduced thickness with respect to the other sizes, and wherein said first and second body (8, 9) are arranged transversally to one another so as to define a L-shaped configuration of said support assembly (2).

4. The latch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second support body (9) is a fluid-tight casing internally housing at least said printed circuit board (7).

5. The latch as claimed in claim 1, wherein said closure mechanism (3) is carried by said first support body (8) and said actuator assembly (5) is carried by said second support body (9).

6. The latch as claimed in claim 2, wherein said actuator assembly (5) comprises an electric motor (50) internally housed, in a fluid-tight manner, in said second support body (9).

7. The latch as claimed in claim 6, wherein said actuator assembly (5) further comprises:

lever actuating means (56, 57, 85) interacting with said closure mechanism (3); and

transmission means (48, 49) for transmitting motion from said electric motor (50) to said lever actuating means (56, 57).

8. The latch as claimed in claim 7, wherein said transmission means comprises a first transmission (48), directly driven by said electric motor (50), and a second transmission (49) functionally interposed between said first transmission (48) and said lever actuating means (56, 57, 85).

9. The latch as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first transmission (48) is housed, in a fluid-tight manner, inside said second support body (9) and said second transmission (49) and said lever actuating means (56, 57, 85) are carried externally by said second support body (9), and wherein said first and second transmission (48, 49) are operatively coupled by a shaft (58) crossing, in a fluid-tight manner, said second support body (9).

10. The latch as claimed in claim 9, wherein said second support body (9) has a sandwich structure and defines two distinct chambers (59, 60), a first one of which (58) houses, in a fluid-tight manner, said control unit (6), and the second one of which houses at least said electric motor (50).

11. The latch as claimed in claim 10, wherein said second chamber (60) also houses, in a fluid-tight manner, said first transmission (59).

12. The latch as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first support body (8) comprises a plate (10) having a first face (10a) facing towards said second support body (9) and a second face (10b) opposite to said first face (10a), and wherein said ratchet (15) and said primary pawl (25) are arranged on said second face (10b) of said plate (10) and said auxiliary ratchet (26) and said secondary pawl (27) are arranged on said first face (10a) of said plate (10).

13. The latch as claimed in claim 12, wherein said second transmission (49) and said lever actuating means (56, 57, 85) are carried by said second support body (9) in a position facing towards said auxiliary ratchet (26) and said secondary pawl (27).

14. The latch as claimed in claim 7, wherein said lever actuating means (56, 57) are configured to interact with said secondary pawl (27), upon a motion of said electric motor (50) in a first direction, and with said auxiliary ratchet (26), upon a motion of said electric motor (50) in a second direction opposite to said first direction, and wherein said lever actuating means (56, 57) interact with said auxiliary ratchet (26) through the interposition of a spring element (86).

15. The latch as claimed in claim 7, wherein said lever actuating means comprise:

a first actuating lever (56) for interacting with said auxiliary ratchet (26) to move the auxiliary ratchet (26) from the enabling position to the disabling position and vice versa;

a second actuating lever (57) driven by said transmission means (48, 49) in a release direction to interact with said secondary pawl (27) to move the secondary pawl (27) to the auxiliary ratchet release position; and

coupling means (85) for connecting said first and second actuating lever (56, 57) when said second actuating lever (57) is driven by said transmission means (48, 49) in a reset direction, opposite to said release direction, to move said first and second actuating lever (56, 57) together and to produce displacement of said auxiliary ratchet (26) from the disabling position to the enabling position.