Vehicular door lock device

• US 5,181,754 A
• Filed: 07/19/1991
• Issued: 01/26/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Shibata, Thoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Richard E.
• Application Number:
  US07/732,528
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 292/216, 292/280, 292/337, 292/336.3, 292/DIG. 26, 292/DIG. 38
• US Class Current: 292/216
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/16 Preventing locking with the bolt in the unlatched position, i.e. when the door is open
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/20 Override of self-cancellation, e.g. by actuation of the handle while the door is being closed
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/243 with a bifurcated bolt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/26 Automatic undogging or reconnecting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/38 Plastic latch parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/57 Operators with knobs or handles

Abstract

A vehicular door lock device comprises a body having on its front side a guide groove for receiving a striker and on its rear side a raised portion for defining the guide groove, a latch, a ratchet engaged with the latch, outer and inner levers connected to outer and inner handles of the door respectively, a locking lever connected to a key, an outer link placed between the locking lever and the open lever and changed to an unlocked position and a locked position when the locking lever rotates, an inner link conencted to the inner lever so as to release the ratchet from the latch when the inner lever rotates irrespective of a locked condition. The outer link and the locking lever are connected through an intermediate link. A back plate is fixed to the rear side of the body. Between the rear side of the body and the back plate, there are formed of a first space for accommodating the outer and inner levers placed above the raised portion, a second space for accommodating thelocking lever placed below the raised portion, and a third space for accommodating the outer and inner links placed by the raised portion due to the height of the raised portion. The inner link has an engagement portion to displace the locking lever to an unlocked position when the inner link descends.

Claims

1. A vehicular door lock device comprising:

a lock body provided at its front side with a guide groove into which a striker fixed to the vehicular body enters and at its rear side with a raised portion for defining said guide groove;

a latch journalled rotatably with the lock body and engaged with the striker;

a ratchet for holding an engagement of said latch with said striker;

an opening lever rotatably journalled with the rear side of the lock body at a position above the raised portion and connected to an outer handle of the door;

locking lever means rotatably journalled to the rear side of the lock body at a position below the raised portion for locking and unlocking the door with a key;

operative link means placed between said locking lever means and said opening lever for unlocking the door when it engages said ratchet and being disengaged from said ratchet when said locking lever means is rotated to lock the door; and

wherein said operative link means and said locking lever means are connected by an intermediate link, and said operative link means is placed so as to not overlap with the raised portion.

2. The vehicular door lock device according to claim 1, wherein said operative link means has a projection for preventing it from being rotary displaced to its locked position when the door is under the open condition and said operative link is placed at its rised position.

3. The vehicular door lock device according to claim 1, wherein a rear side of the lock body has a metal back plate fixed thereto, and there are a first space placed above the raised portion, a second space placed below the raised portion, and a third space placed by the raised portion, respectively between the rear side of the lock body and the back plate due to a height of the raised portion, wherein said opening lever is accommodated in the first space, said locking lever means is accommodated in the second space, and said operative link means is accommodated in the third space.

4. The vehicular door lock device according to claim 1, wherein said opening lever comprises an outer lever to which an outer handle of the door and said operative link are connected, and an inner lever to which an inner handle of the door is connected,

said lock device has an inner link connected to said inner lever so as to release the ratchet from the latch when the inner lever rotates irrespective of a locked condition of said lock device,

said inner link being placed so as to overlap with said operative link means.

5. The vehicular door lock device according to claim 4, wherein said inner link has an engagement portion for abutment against said locking lever means to displace said locking lever means to an unlocked position when the inner link descends.