Quiet vehicle door latch

• US 6,811,193 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2003
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inteva Products LLC (Renco Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Perkins, Donald M., Arabia, Frank J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): ESTREMSKY, GARY WAYNE
• Application Number:
  US10/411,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20040007882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 292/216, 292/201, 292/DIG.23, 292/DIG.61, 292/DIG.56
• US Class Current: 292/216
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2015/0448 Units of springs; Two or more springs working together
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 77/36 Noise prevention; Anti-rattling means
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 85/26 Cooperation between bolts and detents
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/61 Spring devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure

Abstract

A vehicle door latch has a forkbolt that moves between a latched position and an unlatch position and a detent that moves between a detent position where the detent holds the forkbolt in the latched position and a release position where the detent releases the forkbolt for movement to the unlatch position. The vehicle door latch includes a detent spring that biases the detent toward the detent position and a release mechanism that moves the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt. The vehicle door latch also includes an auxiliary detent spring that decelerates the movement of the detent to the detent position under the bias of the detent spring to reduce noise when the detent strikes the fork bolt. An auxiliary counter spring and an alternative auxiliary helper spring are shown.

Claims

1. A vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that has a movement between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent that has a movement between a release position and a detent position, the detent engaging and holding the forkbolt in the latched position when the detent is in the detent position, the detent releasing the forkbolt for movement to the unlatched position when the detent is in the release position, a detent spring biasing the detent toward the detent position, and a release mechanism for moving the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt, characterized in that:

the vehicle door latch includes an auxiliary spring that acts on the detent for a greater portion of the movement of the detent between the release position and the detent position to produce a torque on the detent that diminishes at different rates as the detent moves from the release position to the detent position,

the auxiliary spring being a counter spring that biases the detent toward the release position and away from the detent position after an initial portion of the movement of the detent between the release position and the detent position.

2. A vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that moves between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent that moves between a detent position and a release position, the detent engaging and holding the forkbolt in the latched position when the detent is in the detent position, the detent releasing the forkbolt for movement to the unlatched position when the detent is in the release position, a detent spring biasing the detent toward the detent position, and a release mechanism for moving the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt, characterized in that:

the vehicle door latch includes a detent counter spring for biasing the detent toward the release position,

the detent counter spring acting on the detent for a greater portion of the movement of the detent between the release position and the detent position to produce a torque on the detent that diminishes at different rates as the detent moves from the release position to the detent position.

3. A vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that moves between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent that moves between a detent position and a release position, the detent engaging and holding the forkbolt in the latched position when the detent is in the detent position, the detent releasing the forkbolt for movement to the unlatched position when the detent is in the release position, a detent spring biasing the detent toward the detent position, and a release mechanism for moving the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt, characterized in that:

the vehicle door latch includes a detent counter spring for biasing the detent toward the release position, and

the detent has a stroke or distance of travel as the detent moves from the release position to the detent position and wherein the counter spring is a coil shaped compression spring that engages the detent for a substantial part of the stroke.

4. The vehicle door latch according to claim 3 wherein the detent counter spring is disposed in a slot of the housing, the detent counter spring having one end engaging the detent and an opposite end engaging a wall of the slot.

5. The vehicle door latch according to claim 3 wherein the detent counter spring is spaced from the detent when the detent is in the release position.

6. The vehicle door latch according to claim 4 wherein the detent counter spring is spaced from the detent when the detent is in the release position.

7. The vehicle door latch according to claim 5 wherein the detent counter spring is stressed when the detent is in the latched position.

8. The vehicle door latch according to claim 6 wherein the detent counter spring is stressed when the detent is in the latched position.

9. A vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that moves between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent that pivots between a detent position and a release position, the detent engaging and holding the forkbolt in the latched position when the detent is in the detent position, the detent releasing the forkbolt for movement to the unlatched position when the detent is in the release position, a detent spring biasing the detent toward the detent position, and a release mechanism for moving the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt, characterized in that:

the vehicle door latch includes a detent counter spring for biasing the detent toward the release position, the detent spring applying a torque to the detent in a direction and the detent counter spring applying a counter torque to the detent in an opposite direction for a greater portion of the pivotal movement of the detent from the release position to the detent position.

10. A vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that moves between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent that pivots between a detent position and a release position, the detent engaging and holding the forkbolt in the latched position when in the detent position, the detent releasing the forkbolt for movement to the unlatched position when the detent is in the release position, a detent spring biasing the detent toward the detent position, and a release mechanism for moving the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt characterized in that:

the vehicle door latch includes a detent counter spring for biasing the detent toward the release position, the detent spring applies a torque to the detent, the detent counter spring applies a counter torque to the detent, the detent has a pivot, the detent spring engages the detent on one side of the pivot, and the detent counter spring is a coil shaped compression spring that engages the detent on an opposite side of the pivot for a substantial distance of travel as the detent moves from the release position to the detent position.

11. The vehicle door latch according to claim 10 wherein the detent counter spring is disposed in a slot of the housing, the detent counter spring having one end engaging the detent and an opposite end engaging a wall of the slot.

12. The vehicle door latch according to claim 11 wherein the detent counter spring is spaced from the detent when the detent is in the release position.

13. The vehicle door latch according to claim 12 wherein the detent counter spring is stressed when the detent is in the latched position.

14. A vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that has a movement between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent that has a movement between a release position and a detent position, the detent engaging and holding the forkbolt in the latched position when in the detent position, the detent releasing the forkbolt for movement to the unlatched position when the detent is in the release position, a detent spring biasing the detent toward the detent position, and a release mechanism for moving the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt, characterized in that:

the vehicle door latch includes a helper spring for biasing the detent toward the detent position, the helper spring being coaxial with the detent spring and engaging the detent when in the release position and disengaging from the detent before the detent reaches the detent position.

15. The vehicle door latch according to claim 14 wherein the helper spring is disposed in a slot of the housing, the auxiliary spring having one end engaging the detent and an opposite end engaging a wall of the slot when the detent is in the release position.

16. The vehicle door latch according to claim 14 wherein the helper spring is spaced from the detent when the detent is in the detent position.

17. The vehicle door latch according to claim 15 wherein the helper spring is spaced from the detent when the detent is in the detent position.

18. A vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that has a movement between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent that has a movement between a release position and a detent position, the detent engaging and holding the forkbolt in the latched position when in the detent position, the detent releasing the forkbolt for movement to the unlatched position when the detent is in the release position, a detent spring biasing the detent toward the detent position, and a release mechanism for moving the detent against the bias of the detent spring to the release position to release the forkbolt, characterized in that:

the vehicle door latch includes a helper spring for biasing the detent toward the detent position, the auxiliary spring engaging the detent when in the release position and disengaging from the detent before the detent reaches the detent position, the helper spring is disposed in a slot of the housing, the auxiliary spring having one end engaging the detent and an opposite end engaging a wall of the slot when the detent is in the release position, the helper spring is spaced from the detent when the detent is in the detent position, and the helper spring is coaxial with the detent spring.