Powered closing device for a vehicle door with a safety mechanism

• US 5,938,251 A
• Filed: 05/23/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hirofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Boucher, Darnell M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ESTREMSKY, GARY WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US08/862,307
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/216, 292/336.3, 292/DIG. 23, 292/DIG. 43
• 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 powered closing device for a vehicle door comprises a latch engageable with a striker, a ratchet for maintaining the engagement between the latch and the striker, an output member rotated by a motor when the latch comes into a half-latched position, an intermediate lever connected to the latch for displacing the latch from the half-latched position to a full-latched position, a connecting member provided between the output member and the intermediate lever, a cancelling lever having a first arm connected to an opening handle of the door and a second arm in which a cancelling cam surface is formed. The cancelling cam surface is brought into contact with the connecting member to disconnect the output member and the intermediate lever when the opening handle is operated. The cancelling cam surface is overlapped with the output member when the opening handle is not operated and moved in a direction apart from the first shaft when the opening handle is operated.

Claims

1. A powered closing device for a vehicle door mounted on the vehicle body, comprising:

a striker adapted to be fixed to the vehicle body;

a latch adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door and engageable with the striker for shutting the vehicle door, said latch having an unlatched position in which the latch is disengaged from the striker, a half-latched position in which the latch is initially engaged with the striker, and a full-latched position in which the latch is completely engaged with the striker;

a ratchet adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door and engageable with the latch for maintaining the engagement between the latch and the striker;

an output member adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door by a first shaft;

a motor for rotating the output member when the latch reaches the half-latched position;

an intermediate lever adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door and operatively connected to the latch for displacing the latch from the half-latched position to the full-latched position when rotated;

a connecting member having a connected position in which rotation of the output member is transmitted to the intermediate lever and a disconnected position in which rotation of the output member is not transmitted to the intermediate lever; and

a cancelling lever rotatably mounted on the vehicle door by a second shaft parallel to the first shaft and having a first arm adapted to be continuously connected to an opening handle of the vehicle door and a second arm on which a cancelling cam surface is formed, said cancelling cam surface being brought into contact with the connecting member to displace the connecting member to the disconnected position from the connected position when the opening handle is operated;

wherein said cancelling cam surface overlays the output member when the opening handle is not in operation and the cancelling cam surface is moved in a direction away from the first shaft when the opening handle is operated.

2. A powered closing device according to claim 1, wherein said connecting member is formed into an elongated link shape and has at one end an elongated slot into which the first shaft is inserted.

3. A powered closing device according to claim 1, wherein said cancelling lever has an arcuate slot with a radius around the second shaft, said first shaft being inserted into the arcuate slot.

4. A powered closing device for a vehicle door mounted on the vehicle body, comprising:

a striker adapted to be fixed to the vehicle body;

a latch adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door and engageable with the striker for shutting the vehicle door, said latch having an unlatched position in which the latch is disengaged from the striker, a half-latched position in which the latch is initially engaged with the striker, and a full-latched position in which the latch is completely engaged with the striker;

a ratchet adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door and engageable with the latch for maintaining the engagement between the latch and the striker;

an output member adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door by a first shaft;

a motor for rotating the output member when the latch reaches the half-latched position;

an intermediate lever adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door and operatively connected to the latch for displacing the latch from the half-latched position to the full-latched position when rotated;

a connecting member having a pin which is displaceable between a connected position in which rotation of the output member is transmitted to the intermediate lever and a disconnected position in which the rotation of the output member is not transmitted to the intermediate lever; and

a cancelling lever adapted to be rotatably mounted on the vehicle door by a second shaft parallel to the first shaft and having a first arm adapted to be continuously connected to an opening handle of the vehicle door and a second arm in which a cancelling cam surface is formed, said cancelling cam surface being brought into contact with the pin to displace the pin to the disconnected position from the connected position when the opening handle is operated;

wherein said cancelling cam surface is positioned between the pin and the first shaft when the opening handle is not in operation and is moved in a direction away from the first shaft when the opening handle is operated.

5. A powered closing device according to claim 4, wherein said connecting member is formed into an elongated link shape and has at one end an elongated slot into which the first shaft is inserted, said pin being formed at the other end of the connecting member.

6. A powered closing device according to claim 4, wherein said cancelling lever has an arcuate slot with a radius around the second shaft, said first shaft being inserted into the arcuate slot.