Door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism

• US 5,618,068 A
• Filed: 04/06/1994
• Issued: 04/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation (Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hirofumi, Fujihara, Yoshihiko, Mitsui, Jiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Millner, Monica E.
• Application Number:
  US08/223,510
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/216, 292/336.3, 292/DIG. 23
• US Class Current: 292/201
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 2047/0059 by transfer between frame and wing
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/20 for assisting final closing or for initiating opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/66 the bolt position, i.e. the latching status
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/68 by sensing the position of the detent
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/80 characterised by the power supply; Emergency power operation
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/82 using batteries other than the vehicle main battery
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/36 Locks for passenger or like doors
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/40 for sliding doors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1047 Closure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/1082 Motor

Abstract

A door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism comprises a latch engaging with a striker secured to a vehicle body, an automatic door closing motor for over-rotating the latch at its half-latched position beyond its full-latched position while the motor rightly rotates, a switch adapated to turn to continuously ON when the latch is between the half-latched and full-latched positions and turn to OFF when the latch is at other position than between the half-latched and full-latched positions, and a controller for rightly rotating the motor when door closing operation turns the switch from its OFF condition to ON condition and reversely rotating motor when the switch turns from ON to OFF.

Claims

1. A door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism comprising:

a latch engaging with a striker secured to a vehicle body;

an automatic door closing motor for over-rotating said latch at a half-latched position beyond a full-latched position while the motor rightly rotates;

a switch which is continuously in an ON condition when the latch is between the half-latched position and the full-latched position and is turned to an Off condition when the latch is at a position other than between the half-latched position and the full-latched position; and

a controller for rightly rotating said motor when a door is closed and turns said switch from the OFF condition to the On condition and reverses rotation of the motor when the switch turns from the ON condition to the OFF condition.

2. The door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said controller reverse rotates the motor and then rightly rotates the motor when closing of the door turns the switch from OFF condition to ON condition.

3. The door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a power communicating mechanism provided between the motor and the latch, wherein said controller reverses rotation of the motor when closing of the door turns the switch from OFF condition to ON condition, and rightly rotates the motor after the power communicating mechanism returns to an initial position.

4. A door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism comprising:

a latch engaging with a striker secured to a vehicle body;

an automatic door closing motor;

a power communicating mechanism provided between the motor and the latch so as to rotate compulsorily the latch along a full-latched direction when the motor rightly rotates;

a switch detecting the latch at a half-latched position and a full-latched position; and

a controller controlling the motor due to a signal sent from the switch;

wherein

said controller rotating the motor in reverse when the switch detects the latch at the half-latched position to return the power communication mechanism to an initial position, then rightly rotating the motor, and rotate the motor in reverse when the switch detects the latch at the full-latched position.

5. The door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the motor moves to a mechanical-locked condition and stops rotation when the power communication mechanism returns to the initial position, and the controller having a detector for detecting a rotary condition of the motor.

6. The door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the controller rotates the motor in reverse when the detector detects a stoppage condition of the motor before the switch detects the latch at the full-latched position.

7. A door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism comprising:

a latch engaging with a striker secured to a vehicle body;

a ratchet engaging with said latch so as to hold an engagement of the latch with the striker;

a first motor;

a power communication mechanism provided between the first motor and the latch so as to compulsorily rotate the latch along a full-latched direction when the motor rightly rotates;

a switch detecting the latch at a half-latched position and a full-latched position;

a controller rightly rotating the motor when the switch detects the latch at the half-latched position and rotating the motor in reverse when the switch detects the latch at the full-latched position;

an open lever disengaging the ratchet from the latch;

a lock lever changing from a locked position and an unlocked position so as to make operation of the ratchet at locked position thereof by the open lever impossible; and

a second motor changing the lock lever from the locked position to the unlocked position;

said power communication mechanism having a safety mechanism disconnecting the first motor from the latch when the open lever operates, and said controller controlling the second motor so as to change the lock lever to the unlocked position when the safety mechanism operates.

8. The door lock apparatus with automatic door closing mechanism according to claim 7, wherein said controller has a detector detecting a rotary condition of the first motor, and said controller considering a change of rotation number of the first motor detected by the detector and due to a lowering of load as operation of the safety mechanism.

9. A door lock apparatus on a door which slides on a vehicle body so as to be open and closed, comprising;

a latch mechanism provided at a rear end portion of the door;

said latch mechanism having a latch engaging with a striker secured to said vehicle body;

a ratchet engaging with the latch so as to hold an engagement of the latch with the striker,

an operation mechanism provided on a front side of the door;

said operation mechanism having an automatic door closing motor, an output member driven by the motor, a wire arm indirectly connected to the latch by wire, and a connection member connecting the wire arm to the output member;

wherein when the output member rotates the motor the latch rotates toward the full-latch position via the wire;

a first connector provided on the vehicle body and connected to a battery on the vehicle body;

a second connector provided on the door and contacting the first connector when the door moves to close at a predetermined position; and

a controller connected to the second connector to control the motor;

said operation mechanism further having an open lever connected to a handle to open the door, said open lever being indirectly connected to the ratchet through a rod, and said connection member disconnecting the wire arm from the output member when the open lever rotates.

10. A door lock apparatus on a door which slides on a vehicle body so as to be open and closed, comprising:

a power supply unit provided on the vehicle body and having a first controller connected to a battery and a first connector connected to the first controller, said first connector having a first terminal group consisting of a plus terminal exposed to the outside, an earth terminal and a signal terminal;

a power receiving unit provided on the door and having a second connector and a second controller connected to the second connector, said second connector having a second terminal group consisting of a plus terminal exposed to the outside, an earth terminal, and a signal terminal, said second terminal group contacting the first terminal group when the door is closed to a predetermined position;

a latch provided on the door so as to engage with a striker secured to the vehicle body;

a first motor connected to the second controller so as to rotate the latch along a full-latched direction wherein the motor rightly rotates;

wherein the first controller impresses a voltage on the signal terminal of the first terminal group and provides electricity to the earth terminal of the first terminal group from the signal terminal of the first terminal group through the second controller when the first terminal group comes into contact with the second terminal group, and said first controller supplies power from the battery to the second controller, when the first controller provides electricity to the earth terminal, through each said plus terminal.

11. The door lock apparatus according to claim 10, wherein each plus terminal is respectively placed relatively near the signal terminal and the earth terminal is placed apart from the plus terminal or signal terminal by a predetermined gap.

12. The door lock apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an open lever disengaging the latch from the striker, a lock lever which changes between a locked position and an unlocked position and makes operation of the open lever impossible when the lock lever is changed to the locked position, a second motor changing the lock lever between the locked position and the unlocked position,

said second connector having a third terminal group connected to the second motor, the third terminal group being placed in a predetermined gap, and the first connector has a fourth terminal group corresponding to the third terminal group.