DOOR LATCH DEVICE

• US 20180112441A1
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Published: 04/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GECOM Corporation (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: GECOM Corporation (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: DAMBOIU, Cristian, FARRIS, Bryan, KEPLER, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 15/0053 means providing a stable, i.e. indexed, position of lock parts
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/06 by means of inertial forces
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/26 specially adapted for child safety
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/265 hand actuated, e.g. by a lever at the edge of the door
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 79/08 Mounting of individual lock elements in the lock, e.g. levers
• 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 81/40 Nuts or nut-like elements moving along a driven threaded axle

Abstract

A door latch device is provided which has a childproof locking mechanism of which a childproof lever is pivotally supported by a support shaft. The childproof lever of the childproof locking mechanism is pivotally supported on a casing by the support shaft extending in a transverse direction of a vehicle. This mechanism shifting between a childproof unlock state, in which a door opening operation by an inside handle is transmitted to an engagement mechanism, and a childproof lock state, in which this opening operation is not transmitted, and a manual operation part is formed at an end portion of the childproof lever in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle perpendicular to the support shaft such that this manual operation part passes through a cover member and projects backward.

Claims

1. A door latch device comprising:

an engagement unit which has a box-like body housing an engagement mechanism engaging with a striker of a vehicle body and a cover member covering an opening of the body, and the engagement unit being fixed to an inner side of an inner panel of a door;

a casing connected to the engagement unit; and

a childproof locking mechanism housed in the casing, which is shifted between a childproof unlock state and a childproof lock state,

wherein in the childproof unlock state, an engagement between the engagement mechanism and the striker is released by transmitting a release operation of an inside lever to the engagement mechanism depending on a door opening operation of an inside handle provided on a vehicle interior side of the door, and

wherein in the childproof lock state, the engagement between the engagement mechanism and the striker is not released by making said transmission impossible;

wherein the childproof locking mechanism comprises a childproof lever pivotally supported on the casing by a support shaft extending in a transverse direction of a vehicle to shift between the childproof unlock state and the childproof lock state, and

wherein a manual operation part is formed at an end portion of the childproof lever extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle perpendicular to the support shaft such that the manual operation part passes through the cover member and projects from this member.

2. The door latch device according to claim 1, wherein a guide hole for guiding and operating the manual operation part is formed on a part of the cover member through which the manual operation part is inserted.

3. The door latch device according to claim 1, wherein an inertia lever is provided below the engagement mechanism in the body, the inertia lever keeping the engagement state between the engagement mechanism and the striker by pivoting to the engagement mechanism side when a crash load affects the engagement unit, and the manual operation part of the childproof lever is made to project from the cover member below the inertia lever.

4. The door latch device according to claim 1, wherein in addition to the childproof lever, the childproof locking mechanism further comprises:

a releasing lever pivotally supported on the casing by a shaft extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle to transmit a release operation of the inside lever to the engagement mechanism, and

a connecting lever of which a lower connecting part formed on a lower portion is connected to an end portion of the childproof lever opposite to the manual operation part, and of which an upper connecting part formed on an upper portion is inserted into a long hole extending in the vertical direction disposed on the releasing lever, and thereby moving in the vertical direction in conjunction with the pivoting of the childproof lever, and

the inside lever has a fitting hole to which the upper connecting part inserted to the long hole is fit, the fitting hole having a shape such that when the childproof lever is in the childproof unlock state, a release operation of the inside lever is transmitted to the engagement transmit mechanism via the upper connecting part and the releasing lever, and when the childproof lever is in the childproof lock state, the release operation of the inside lever is not transmitted to the engagement transmit mechanism by making the inside lever swing idly to the upper connecting part and the releasing lever.

5. The door latch device according to claim 1, wherein a set of holding unit, stopping and holding the childproof lever at said each state, is provided on a pair of opposite faces of the childproof lever and the casing.

6. The door latch device according to claim 5, wherein the holding unit comprises a mound-like projection formed on any one of the opposite faces of the childproof lever and the casing, and an elastic part formed on the other opposite face of them, and the elastic part is elastically deformable in the transverse direction of the vehicle and has a projection passing over the mound-like projection and stopping when the childproof lever is shifted between the childproof unlock state and the childproof lock state.