Vehicle door lock apparatus

• US 5,516,167 A
• Filed: 06/02/1994
• Issued: 05/14/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Shigeru, Ohhashi, Masao, Torii, Nozomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Meyers, Steven N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUU, TUYET PHUONG PHAM
• Application Number:
  US08/253,259
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/216, 292/337, 292/336.3, 292/DIG. 23
• US Class Current: 292/337
• 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 81/64 Monitoring or sensing, e.g. by using switches or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/80 characterised by the power supply; Emergency power operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/23 Vehicle door latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/62 Bolt casings

Abstract

A vehicle door lock apparatus includes a latch mechanism, a locking lever which permits the latch mechanism to be operated and prevents the latch mechanism from being operated and detecting member connected with the locking lever including a detecting shaft, wherein the locking lever is rotatably supported on the detecting shaft and the locking lever is rotated with the detecting member integrally about the detecting shaft.

Claims

1. A vehicle door lock apparatus comprising:

a latch mechanism for establishing a latched condition of a vehicle door;

a rotatable key locking lever for being connected to a key cylinder of a vehicle for movement between an unlocked position in which operation of the latch mechanism is permitted and a locked position in which operation of the latch mechanism is prevented; and

detecting means for detecting the locked or unlocked position of the key locking lever, the detecting means including a detecting shaft, the key locking lever being fixed in position on the detecting shaft so that rotation of the key locking lever directly results in rotation of the detecting shaft.

2. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the detecting means is disposed in a fluid-tightly sealed housing.

3. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the detecting shaft includes a first detecting shaft which detects the locked or unlocked position of the key locking lever.

4. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the detecting means also includes a first brush and a second brush which are both rotatable together with the first detecting shaft, a first contact with which the first brush is in sliding engagement, a second contact, a third contact, and a space located between the second contact and the third contact, the second brush being in sliding engagement with each of the second contact, the third contact and the space during movement of the detecting shaft.

5. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 1, including a knob locking lever for being connected to a locking knob of the vehicle for movement between a locked position and an unlocked position, and said detecting means including a second detecting shaft for detecting the locked position and the unlocked position of the knob locking lever.

6. A vehicle door lock apparatus comprising:

a latch mechanism for establishing a latched condition of a vehicle door;

a first movable locking lever movable between an unlocked position in which the latch mechanism is permitted to be operated and a locked position in which the latch mechanism is prevented from being operated;

a second movable locking lever movable between an unlocked position in which the latch mechanism is permitted to be operated and a locked position in which the latch mechanism is prevented from being operated;

first detecting means for detecting the locked or unlocked position of the first locking lever, the first detecting means including a first detecting shaft on which is mounted the first locking lever so that rotation of the first locking lever results in rotation of the first detecting shaft; and

second detecting means for detecting the locked or unlocked position of the second locking lever, the second detecting means including a second detecting shaft on which is mounted the second locking lever so that rotation of the second locking lever results in rotation of the second detecting shaft.

7. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the first and second detecting means are disposed in a fluid-tightly sealed housing.

8. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said first locking lever is fixedly secured to the first detecting shaft and the second locking lever is fixedly secured to the second detecting shaft.

9. A vehicle door lock apparatus comprising:

a latch mechanism for establishing a latched condition of a vehicle door;

a rotatable locking lever for being connected to a locking element of a vehicle to permit the latch mechanism to be operated and to prevent the latch mechanism from being operated;

an actuator connected with the locking lever for operating the locking lever;

detecting means operatively associated with the locking lever for detecting a locked or unlocked position of the locking lever; and

a connector integrally formed on the actuator for relaying a signal output from the detecting means and for receiving electric power to be supplied to the actuator.

10. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said locking lever is an actuator locking lever for being connected to a locking knob located inside a vehicle.

11. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said connector includes an end at which is exposed an input terminal connected to the actuator for supplying electric power to the actuator and an output terminal connected to the detecting means for relaying a signal output from the detecting means, the end of the connector being adapted to matingly engage another connector.

12. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said actuator is positioned within a housing that includes a main body and a cover, the actuator including a motor positioned in the main body, said connector being integrally formed in one piece with the main body.

13. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the connector includes an input terminal connected to the motor by first wiring to supply electric power to the motor upon connection of said connector to another connector, said first wiring being formed in the main body.

14. A vehicle door lock apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said controller includes an output terminal connected to the detecting means by second wiring for receiving signals output from the detecting means.