Motor-vehicle door latch with power assist

• US 5,433,496 A
• Filed: 02/14/1994
• Issued: 07/18/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kiekert AG (Lingyun Industrial Corporation Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Zimmermann, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Millner, Monica E.
• Application Number:
  US08/195,582
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/198, 292/DIG. 23
• US Class Current: 292/201
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/20 for assisting final closing or for initiating opening
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/23 Vehicle door latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

A motor-vehicle door latch bolt has a housing in which a door bolt is receivable and a latch fork formed with a seat and with at least one detent and pivotal on the housing between a locked position engaged around the bolt and holding it deep in the recess and an unlocked position permitting the bolt to move into and out of the recess. A support link pivotal on the housing carries a latch pawl pivotal into and out of a holding position engaging the detent and preventing pivoting of the fork into the unlocked position. A motor-driven crank rotatable adjacent the fork is coupled to the support link for pivoting the support link and retaining pawl as the crank rotates. An inner lever pivoted on an assembly pivot has an abutment and a detent, and is coupled to the latch pawl, and an outer lever pivoted on the assembly pivot has an abutment engageable with the inner-lever abutment, and is operable from outside the door. A crank lever pivoted on the assembly pivot has one arm connected to the support link and another arm. An opening lever pivoted on the housing has an outer end connected by an opening link to the other arm of the crank lever. A coupling pawl pivoted on the other arm of the crank lever is engageable with the detent of the inner lever.

Claims

1. A motor-vehicle door latch for use in combination with a door bolt, the latch comprising:

a housing formed with a laterally open recess in which the bolt is receivable;

a pivotal latch fork formed with a fork seat and with at least one detent;

a fork pivot supporting the fork on the housing for pivoting between a locked position engaged around the bolt and holding it deep in the recess, a semilocked position engaged around the bolt and holding it shallowly in the recess, and an unlocked position permitting the bolt to move into and out of the recess;

a support link pivotal on the housing;

a latch pawl;

a pawl pivot fixed on the support link offset from the fork pivot and supporting the latch pawl on the support link for pivoting in the locked and semilocked positions of the fork into and out of a holding position engaging the detent and preventing pivoting of the fork into the unlocked position;

a crank rotatable on the housing adjacent the fork through 360°

;

means coupling the crank to the support link for pivoting the support link and latch pawl as the crank rotates;

means including a motor shaft carrying the crank for, when the latch pawl is engaged with the detent in the semilocked position of the fork, pivoting the crank and the fork into the locked position;

an operating-lever assembly connected to the latch pawl for pivoting same out of engagement with the detent, the assembly including

an assembly pivot on the housing,

an inner lever pivoted on the assembly pivot, having an abutment and a detent, and coupled to the latch pawl, and

an outer lever pivoted on the assembly pivot, having an abutment engageable with the inner-lever abutment, and operable from outside the door;

a crank lever pivoted on the assembly pivot and having one arm connected to the support link and another arm;

an opening lever pivoted on the housing and having an outer end;

an opening link interconnecting the outer end of the opening lever and the other arm of the crank lever; and

a coupling pawl pivoted on the other arm of the crank lever and engageable with the detent of the inner lever.

2. The latch defined in claim 1, further comprising a spring urging the coupling pawl into engagement with the detent.

3. The latch defined in claim 2 wherein the coupling pawl has an arm engageable with the opening link to pivot the coupling pawl out of engagement with the detent.

4. The latch defined in claim 1, further comprising a link between the inner lever and the latch pawl.