Vehicle door latch assembly

• US 5,906,123 A
• Filed: 06/08/1998
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meritor Technology, Inc. (Cummins Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Meritor Light Vehicle Systems - France
• Inventors: Spurr, Nigel
• Primary Examiner(s): Meyers, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRADY, STEPHEN L
• Application Number:
  US09/051,437
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 292/216, 292/DIG. 23, 292/DIG. 65, 292/207, 292/203, 292/169.12, 292/169.14, 70/264
• US Class Current: 70/264
• 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 77/30 allowing opening by means of an inner door handle, even if the door is locked
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/243 with a bifurcated bolt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/23 Vehicle door latches
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/65 Central control

Abstract

A passenger vehicle door latch assembly includes inhibiting means for preventing accidental setting of the latch to locked condition while the door is open. A resiliently loaded plunger is guided in fixed structure between a blocking position at which a head or other stop formation of the plunger prevents shifting of an element of a locking mechanism to its locked position and a free position at which locking can take place. The plunger co-acts with a face of a claw or other latch formation or with a face of a pawl or other retention element whenever the latter formation or element are not in their door securing relationship so preventing movement of the plunger from the blocking position until the door is closed.

Claims

1. A passenger vehicle door latch assembly including a movable latch formation shaped to receive a co-acting striker in use on closing the associated door;

a resiliently loaded retention element which releasably retains the latch formation against movement which would allow the door to open;

release means operatively connected to a handle of the door for freeing the latch formation from the retention element when the door is to be opened;

locking mechanism operable from the exterior of the vehicle by a key or other coded input to shift it between a locked condition preventing freeing of the latch formation from its closed condition and an unlocked condition in which said freeing by means of the door handle can take place; and

inhibiting means preventing the locking mechanism being set to the locked condition if the latch formation is not positioned at a striker retaining position, said inhibiting means including an inhibiting member guided for movement between a blocking position at which a stop formation of said member co-acts with a part of a cam element of the locking mechanism to block shifting of said cam element from unlocked to locked condition and a free position permitting said shifting, said member being positioned to co-act with a relatively movable face of the latch formation or the retention element whereby the member abuts said face to prevent its displacement from said blocking position whenever the latch formation is not at a said retaining position, wherein said part of said cam element moves between the locked and unlocked conditions in a path normal to the path of said movement of the inhibiting member and into and away from abutment with the stop formation, with the inhibiting member being resiliently biased towards the blocking position independently of the locking mechanism, and said part and said formation abutting each other with a camming action displacing said member against the biasing when it is otherwise free for movement.

2. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein said camming action assists in the positive indexing of said cam element to the condition selected.

3. An assembly as in claim 1 wherein the inhibiting member is a spring-loaded plunger guided for rectilinear movement by a through bore on fixed structure of the assembly to act between said cam element moving in a first plane parallel to one side of said structure and said face of the latch formation or retention element moving in a second plane parallel to said first plane on the other side of said structure.

4. An assembly as in claim 2 wherein the inhibiting member is a spring-loaded plunger guided for rectilinear movement by a through bore on fixed structure of the assembly to act between said cam element moving in a first plane parallel to one side of said structure and said face of the latch formation or retention element moving in a second plane parallel to said first plane on the other side of said structure.