Power-actuated motor-vehicle door latch with child-safety cutout

• US 5,494,322 A
• Filed: 01/18/1994
• Issued: 02/27/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kiekert AG (Lingyun Industrial Corporation Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kiekert GmbH & Company KG
• Inventors: Menke, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUU, TUYET PHUONG PHAM
• Application Number:
  US08/184,250
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/216, 292/336, 292/DIG. 3, 292/DIG. 23, 292/DIG. 65
• US Class Current: 292/216
• 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 77/28 for anti-theft purposes, e.g. double-locking or super-locking
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/48 by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 79/20 using flexible connections, e.g. Bowden cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/06 using rotary motors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/243 with a bifurcated bolt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

A motor-vehicle door latch has a lock fork engageable with a door bolt and a release pawl engageable with the fork. A lever mechanism connected to the release pawl can operate the release pawl. A locking element pivoted on the housing about an element axis and operatively connected to the lever mechanism is formed with an outwardly open notch and is displaceable for decoupling the lever mechanism from the release pawl in the locked position of the locking element and for coupling the lever mechanism to the release pawl in the unlocked position of the locking element. A cutout lever is pivotable on the housing about a cutout axis and a drive body rotatable about a drive axis parallel to the element and cutout axes has an eccentric pin extending parallel to the axes. The pin is engaged in the notch and is engageable with the cutout lever. An inside handle is permanently connected to an inside latching lever to actuate it, is operatively connected to the cutout lever, and has an end engageable with the mechanism to actuate same only in the normal position of the cutout lever. This inside latching lever is operatively unengageable with the mechanism in the cutout position of the cutout lever. A motor can rotate the drive body and thereby orbit the pin about the drive axis to displace the cutout lever between the cutout and normal positions, and to displace the locking element between the locked and unlocked positions.

Claims

1. A motor-vehicle door latch comprising:

a housing;

a lock fork on the housing engageable with a door bolt and pivotable between a locked position engaged around the bolt and retaining it on the housing and an unlocked position permitting the door bolt to move into and out of the housing;

a release pawl engageable with the fork and displaceable between a holding position retaining the fork in the locked position and a freeing position unengageable with the fork and permitting the fork to move into the unlocked position;

means including a lever mechanism connected to the release pawl and movable between an actuated position displacing the release pawl into the freeing position and an unactuated position with the release pawl in the holding position;

means including a locking element pivoted on the housing about an element axis, operatively connected to the lever mechanism, formed with an outwardly open notch of predetermined angular width, and displaceable between locked and unlocked positions for decoupling the lever mechanism from the release pawl in the locked position of the locking element and for coupling the lever mechanism to the release pawl in the unlocked position of the locking element;

a cutout lever pivotable on the housing about a cutout axis between a cutout position and a normal position;

a drive body rotatable about a drive axis parallel to the element and cutout axes and having an eccentric pin extending parallel to the axes and of a diameter equal to at most half of the width of the notch, the pin being engaged in the notch and being engageable with the cutout lever;

an inside handle operable from inside the vehicle;

an inside latching lever permanently connected to the inside handle for actuation thereby, operatively connected to the cutout lever, and having an end engageable with the mechanism to actuate same only in the normal position of the cutout lever and operatively unengageable with the mechanism in the cutout position of the cutout lever; and

means including a motor for rotating the drive body and thereby orbiting the pin about the drive axis for

displacing the cutout lever between the cutout and normal positions, and

displacing the locking element between the locked and unlocked positions.

2. The motor-vehicle door latch defined in claim 1 wherein cutout lever and locking element are displaceable between the respective positions independently of each other.

3. The motor-vehicle door latch defined in claim 1 wherein the locking element, cutout lever, drive body, and inside locking lever are pivotable about respective parallel axes on the housing.