Vehicle door latch system
First Claim
1. A vehicle door latch system, comprising:
- a forkbolt pivotally mounted to a housing portion of the vehicle door latch system, the forkbolt being capable of movement between a latching position and an unlatching position;
a detent lever pivotally mounted to the vehicle door latch system, the detent lever capable of moving between an engaged position, wherein the detent lever prevents movement of the forkbolt from the latching position to the unlatching position and a disengaged position, wherein the detent lever does not prevent movement of the forkbolt from the latching position to the unlatching position;
a block out mechanism configured for movement between a blocking position and an unblocking position, the block out mechanism being configured to prevent the detent lever from moving from the engaged position to the disengaged position when the block out mechanism is in the blocking position, the block out mechanism being biased into the unblocking position by a biasing member, wherein the block out mechanism does not prevent movement of the detent lever to the disengaged position when the block out mechanism is in the unblocking position;
an activation mechanism comprising a shape memory alloy operatively connected to the block out mechanism for moving the block out mechanism to the blocking position by overcoming a biasing force of the biasing member, wherein the activation mechanism maintains the block out mechanism in the blocking position for a predetermined time period;
an electronic control module configured to provide a voltage to the shape memory alloy, wherein the voltage causes the shape memory alloy to contract from a first dimension to a second dimension, the second dimension being less than the first dimension; and
at least one sensor for detecting at least one variable during at least one predetermined event, the at least one sensor being configured to generate a signal for receipt by the electronic control module, the signal corresponding to the at least one variable, wherein the electronic control module provides the voltage to the shape memory alloy when the at least one variable exceeds a locking threshold.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle door latch system configured to temporarily prevent door latch mechanisms from unlatching during a predetermined event is provided. The vehicle door latch system includes a forkbolt pivotally mounted to a housing portion of the vehicle door latch. The forkbolt is capable of moving between a latching position and an unlatching position. The door latch system also includes a block out mechanism configured for movement between a blocking position and an unblocking position. The block out mechanism is configured to prevent the forkbolt from moving from the latching position to the unlatching position when the block out mechanism is in the blocking position. A biasing member biases the block out mechanism into the unblocking position. The door latch system also includes an activation mechanism for moving the block out mechanism to the blocking position when the activation mechanism is activated for a predetermined time period to overcome the biasing member and after the predetermined time period, the block out mechanism moves to the unblocking position by the biasing member.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A vehicle door latch system, comprising:
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a forkbolt pivotally mounted to a housing portion of the vehicle door latch system, the forkbolt being capable of movement between a latching position and an unlatching position; a detent lever pivotally mounted to the vehicle door latch system, the detent lever capable of moving between an engaged position, wherein the detent lever prevents movement of the forkbolt from the latching position to the unlatching position and a disengaged position, wherein the detent lever does not prevent movement of the forkbolt from the latching position to the unlatching position; a block out mechanism configured for movement between a blocking position and an unblocking position, the block out mechanism being configured to prevent the detent lever from moving from the engaged position to the disengaged position when the block out mechanism is in the blocking position, the block out mechanism being biased into the unblocking position by a biasing member, wherein the block out mechanism does not prevent movement of the detent lever to the disengaged position when the block out mechanism is in the unblocking position; an activation mechanism comprising a shape memory alloy operatively connected to the block out mechanism for moving the block out mechanism to the blocking position by overcoming a biasing force of the biasing member, wherein the activation mechanism maintains the block out mechanism in the blocking position for a predetermined time period; an electronic control module configured to provide a voltage to the shape memory alloy, wherein the voltage causes the shape memory alloy to contract from a first dimension to a second dimension, the second dimension being less than the first dimension; and at least one sensor for detecting at least one variable during at least one predetermined event, the at least one sensor being configured to generate a signal for receipt by the electronic control module, the signal corresponding to the at least one variable, wherein the electronic control module provides the voltage to the shape memory alloy when the at least one variable exceeds a locking threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for preventing movement of a forkbolt pivotally mounted to a housing portion of a vehicle door latch, the method comprising:
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biasing a block out mechanism into an unblocking position by a biasing member, the block out mechanism allowing a detent lever to move from an engaged position to a disengaged position when the block out mechanism is in the unblocking position, wherein the forkbolt can move between a latching position and an unlatching position when the detent lever is in the disengaged position; and moving the block out mechanism into a blocking position for a predetermined time period by temporarily overcoming a biasing force of the biasing member by applying a voltage to a shape memory alloy operatively coupled to the block out mechanism, wherein the voltage causes the shape memory alloy to constrict in size when the voltage is applied and wherein the shape memory alloy returns to an un-constricted size a predetermined time period after removal of the voltage from the shape memory alloy, and the block out mechanism moves to the unblocking position by the biasing member after the predetermined time period, wherein an electronic control module applies the voltage when at least one sensor detects at least one variable during at least one predetermined event, the at least one sensor being configured to generate a signal for receipt by the electronic control module, the signal corresponding to the at least one variable, the electronic control module being configured to apply the voltage when the at least one variable exceeds a locking threshold. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for preventing movement of a forkbolt pivotally mounted to a housing portion of a vehicle door latch, the method comprising:
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biasing a block out mechanism into an unblocking position by a biasing member, the block out mechanism allowing a detent lever to move from an engaged position to a disengaged position, wherein the forkbolt is free to from a latching position to an unlatching position when the detent lever is in the disengaged position; detecting the occurrence of at least one variable during at least one predetermined event by at least one sensor; sending a signal to an electronic control module when the at least one variable during the at least one predetermined event is detected to cause a shape memory alloy to constrict in size by applying a voltage to the shape memory alloy, the electronic control module being configured to apply the voltage when the electronic control module determines that the at least one variable has occurred during the at least one predetermined event; and wherein the shape memory alloy moves the block out mechanism into a blocking position, wherein the detent lever is prevented from moving from the engaged position for a predetermined time period by temporarily overcoming the biasing member when the voltage is applied to the shape memory alloy, the shape memory alloy being configured to maintain the block out mechanism in the block out position for a predetermined time period after the voltage has been removed from the shape memory alloy, and wherein the block out mechanism moves to the unblocking position by the biasing member after the predetermined time period.
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Specification