Motor-vehicle door latch

• US 5,653,484 A
• Filed: 05/07/1996
• Issued: 08/05/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kiekert AG (Lingyun Industrial Corporation Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kiekert AG (Lingyun Industrial Corporation Limited)
• Inventors: Brackmann, Horst, Kipka, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Meyers, Steven N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lecher, Donald J.
• Application Number:
  US08/647,440
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 70/262, 70/237, 70/DIG. 9, 292/216, 292/DIG. 23, 292/DIG. 27
• US Class Current: 292/216
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/28 for anti-theft purposes, e.g. double-locking or super-locking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/23 Vehicle door latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/27 Disconnectable handle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure

Abstract

A motor-vehicle door latch has a pivotal latching fork, a release pawl engageable with the fork and displaceable between latched and unlatched positions, and a release lever engageable with the pawl for displacing same between its positions and formed with an elongated slot. An outside actuating lever is provided with an entrainment nose aligned with an end of the release-lever slot. Separate inside and outside locking levers are coupled via a spring to a main locking lever displaceable by the inside and outside levers between a locked and an unlocked position. A link lever pivoted on the main locking lever carries a coupling pin projecting through the slot and engageable with the entrainment nose in the unlocked position of the main locking lever and unengageable with the entrainment nose in the locked position of the main locking lever. The link lever is slidably mounted on the main locking lever and is biased toward the entrainment nose so that on movement of the main locking lever from the locked to the unlocked position with the actuating lever actuated the coupling pin engages the nose and the link lever slides against spring force on the main locking lever. An antitheft lever displaceable between on and off positions is operatively engageable in the on position with the main locking lever to retain the main locking lever in the locked position and prevent it from moving into the unlocked position.

Claims

1. A motor-vehicle door latch comprising:

a pivotal latching fork;

a release pawl engageable with the fork and displaceable between a latched position retaining the fork in a latched position engaged around a bolt and securing a motor-vehicle door closed and an unlatched position in which the fork can release the bolt and allow the door to open;

a release lever engageable with the pawl for displacing same between its positions and formed with an elongated slot;

an outside actuating lever provided with an entrainment nose aligned with an end of the release-lever slot;

separate inside and outside locking levers;

a main locking lever coupled to the inside and outside locking levers and displaceable thereby between a locked and an unlocked position;

a link lever pivoted on the main locking lever and carrying a coupling pin projecting through the slot and engageable with the entrainment nose in the unlocked position of the main locking lever and unengageable with the entrainment nose in the locked position of the main locking lever;

biasing means slidably mounting the link lever on the main locking lever for urging the link lever toward the entrainment nose, whereby on movement of the main locking lever from the locked to the unlocked position with the actuating lever actuated the coupling pin engages the nose and the link lever slides against spring force on the main locking lever; and

an antitheft lever displaceable between on and off positions and operatively engageable in the on position with the main locking lever to retain the main locking lever in the locked position and prevent it from moving into the unlocked position.

2. The motor-vehicle door latch defined in claim 1 wherein the link lever is movable generally parallel to the slot, the biasing means including

a spring urging the link lever toward the entrainment nose.

3. The motor-vehicle door latch defined in claim 2, further comprising

a spring linking the inside locking lever with the main locking lever.

4. The motor-vehicle door latch defined in claim 3 wherein the springs are of such relative stiffnesses that in the unlocked and on positions the link lever on actuation of the inside locking lever does not move.

5. The motor-vehicle door latch defined in claim 1, further comprising

an inside actuating lever having an entrainment nose aligned with the entrainment nose of the outside actuating lever.

6. The motor-vehicle door latch defined in claim 1, further comprising

a remotely operated drive connected to one of the link and antitheft levers for actuating same.