VEHICLE DOOR LOCK APPARATUS
First Claim
1. A vehicle door lock apparatus comprising:
- a housing including a base plate fixed in a state in which a fixing surface abuts against a door that is openable and closable with respect to a vehicle frame, to which a striker is fixed, the base plate also having an entry opening, into which the striker can enter, formed therein;
a fork pivotably provided on the base plate and that is displaceable to a latched position, where the fork retains the striker in the entry opening, and to an unlatched position, where the fork allows the striker to separate from the entry opening;
a pawl pivotably provided in the base plate, the pawl being configured to move so as to fix or release the fork;
a first lever displaceably provided in the housing, the first lever being configured to act on the pawl when it is displaced and cause the pawl to release the fork; and
a second lever pivotably provided in the housing, one end of the second lever being coupled to an exterior door handle via a transmission rod, the second lever being capable of acting on the first lever and displacing the first lever when it pivots in response to an opening operation being performed on the exterior door handle,wherein a linkage, which is coupled to a lower end of the transmission rod, is formed at the one end of the second lever,a plane of rotation, which contains an arcuate trajectory traced by the linkage when it pivots in response to the opening operation being performed, is located farther in a frontward direction of the vehicle frame than the fixing surface, andthe plane of rotation extends at an angle relative to a plane containing the fixing surface such that the plane of rotation intersects the plane of the fixing surface in a downward direction of the vehicle frame.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle door lock apparatus includes a housing, a fork, a pawl, a first lever displaceably provided in the housing such that the first lever can act on the pawl, and a second lever pivotably provided in the housing. One end of the second lever has a linkage coupled to a lower end of a transmission rod, which is coupled to an exterior door handle. The second lever pivots in response to an opening operation being performed on the exterior door handle and acts on the first lever. A plane of rotation contains an arcuate trajectory traced by the linkage when it pivots in response to the opening operation being performed, and is located farther in a frontward direction of a vehicle frame than a fixing surface. The plane of rotation is inclined relative to a plane containing the fixing surface, and intersects this plane in the vehicle downward direction.
26 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vehicle door lock apparatus comprising:
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a housing including a base plate fixed in a state in which a fixing surface abuts against a door that is openable and closable with respect to a vehicle frame, to which a striker is fixed, the base plate also having an entry opening, into which the striker can enter, formed therein; a fork pivotably provided on the base plate and that is displaceable to a latched position, where the fork retains the striker in the entry opening, and to an unlatched position, where the fork allows the striker to separate from the entry opening; a pawl pivotably provided in the base plate, the pawl being configured to move so as to fix or release the fork; a first lever displaceably provided in the housing, the first lever being configured to act on the pawl when it is displaced and cause the pawl to release the fork; and a second lever pivotably provided in the housing, one end of the second lever being coupled to an exterior door handle via a transmission rod, the second lever being capable of acting on the first lever and displacing the first lever when it pivots in response to an opening operation being performed on the exterior door handle, wherein a linkage, which is coupled to a lower end of the transmission rod, is formed at the one end of the second lever, a plane of rotation, which contains an arcuate trajectory traced by the linkage when it pivots in response to the opening operation being performed, is located farther in a frontward direction of the vehicle frame than the fixing surface, and the plane of rotation extends at an angle relative to a plane containing the fixing surface such that the plane of rotation intersects the plane of the fixing surface in a downward direction of the vehicle frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A vehicle comprising:
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a vehicle frame; a striker affixed to the vehicle frame; a vehicle door that is openable and closable with respect to the vehicle frame; an exterior door handle movably disposed on the vehicle door; a housing including a base plate having a fixing surface defined thereon and an entry opening configured to receive the striker, the fixing surface being fixedly abutted against the vehicle door; a fork pivotably provided on the base plate such that the fork is displaceable from a latched position, where the fork retains the striker in the entry opening, to an unlatched position, where the fork allows the striker to separate from the entry opening, and vice versa; a pawl pivotably provided in the base plate, the pawl being configured to move so as to fix or release the fork; a first lever displaceably provided in the housing, the first lever being configured to act on the pawl when the first lever is displaced and cause the pawl to release the fork; and a second lever pivotably provided in the housing, one end of the second lever being coupled to the exterior door handle via a transmission rod, the second lever being configured to act on the first lever and displace the first lever when the second lever pivots in response to an opening operation being performed on the exterior door handle, wherein; a linkage is formed at the one end of the second lever and is coupled to a lower end of the transmission rod, a plane of rotation contains an arcuate trajectory traced by the linkage when it pivots in response to the opening operation being performed, the plane of rotation is located farther in a frontward direction of the vehicle frame than the fixing surface, and the plane of rotation extends at an angle relative to a plane containing the fixing surface such that the plane of rotation intersects the plane of the fixing surface in a downward direction of the vehicle frame. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus comprising:
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a housing including a base plate having a fixing surface defined thereon and an entry opening configured to receive a striker affixed to a vehicle frame, the fixing surface being configured to fixedly abutted against a vehicle door; a fork pivotably provided on the base plate such that the fork is displaceable from a latched position, where the fork is configured to retain the striker in the entry opening, to an unlatched position, where the fork is configured to allow the striker to separate from the entry opening, and vice versa; a pawl pivotably provided in the base plate, the pawl being configured to move so as to fix or release the fork; a first lever displaceably provided in the housing, the first lever being configured to act on the pawl when the first lever is displaced and cause the pawl to release the fork; and a second lever pivotably provided in the housing, one end of the second lever being configured to be coupled to an exterior door handle via a transmission rod, the second lever being configured to act on the first lever and displace the first lever when the second lever pivots in response to an opening operation being performed on the exterior door handle, wherein; a linkage is formed at the one end of the second lever and is coupled to a lower end of the transmission rod, a plane of rotation contains an arcuate trajectory traced by the linkage when it pivots in response to the opening operation being performed, the apparatus is configured to be mounted on vehicle door such that the plane of rotation is located farther in a frontward direction of the vehicle frame than the fixing surface, and the plane of rotation extends at an angle relative to a plane containing the fixing surface such that the plane of rotation intersects the plane of the fixing surface in a downward direction of the vehicle frame. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification