Actuator for door locking apparatus for vehicle

• US 5,079,964 A
• Filed: 05/21/1990
• Issued: 01/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hamada, Yoshikazu, Igata, Tetsuzo
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krolikowski, Julie
• Application Number:
  US07/526,099
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 74/89.14, 74/89.15, 292/201, 292/336.3
• US Class Current: 74/89.25
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/25 Actuators mounted separately from the lock and controlling the lock functions through mechanical connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18592 Auxiliary drive [e.g., fluid piston, etc.] for load
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18792 including worm

Abstract

The actuator for a door locking apparatus for a vehicle has an output shaft rotatably mounted on the body thereof, a cylindrical worm designed to be rotated by a motor, and a shaft tube having an internal toothed portion that is brought into mesh engagement with the cylindrical worm and designed to move between locked and unlocked positions along the axial direction of the worm when the worm is rotated. An elongate hole is formed in the arm fixed to the output shaft, and the pin of the shaft tube is brought into engagement with this elongate hole. A projection is provided on the shaft tube at such a position as to be closer to the output shaft than the pin is. The actuator has a torsion spring for returning the shaft tube from the locked or the unlocked position to a neutral position as an intermediate position between the two positions when the motor is switched off. The coil portion of the torsion spring is wound around the outer circumference of the output shaft, and the two legs of the torsion spring are crossed each other, and are thereafter brought into engagement with the projection and a fixed locking piece.

Claims

1. An actuator for a door locking apparatus for a vehicle having:

an output shaft rotatably mounted on the body of said actuator;

a cylindrical worm rotatable by means of a motor;

a shaft tube having an internal toothed portion that is brought into mesh engagement with said cylindrical worm for movement between locked and unlocked positions along the axial direction of said worm when said worm is rotated; and

an arm fixed to said output shaft for engagement with said shaft tube so as to rotate said output shaft when said shaft tube is moved;

wherein said actuator has a spring for returning said shaft tube from said locked or said unlocked position to a neutral position as an intermediate position between said locked and unlocked positions when said motor is switched off;

wherein a pin is formed on said shaft tube;

wherein an elongate hole is formed in said arm for engagement with said pin, said elongate hole having such a length as to prevent the abutment with said pin when said shaft tube is restored to said neutral position; and

wherein a projection is formed on said shaft tube at such a position as to be closer to said output shaft than said pin is, wherein said spring comprises a torsion spring comprising in turn a coil portion and two legs, wherein said coil portion is wound around the outer circumference of said output shaft, and wherein said two legs are crossed each other, and are thereafter brought into engagement with said projection and a fixed locking piece.