U.S. patent number 3,614,146 [Application Number 04/850,524] was granted by the patent office on 1971-10-19 for vehicle door latch.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Atwood Vacuum Machine Company. Invention is credited to Thomas O. Marx.
United States Patent |
3,614,146 |
Marx |
October 19, 1971 |
VEHICLE DOOR LATCH
Abstract
A freewheeling, dual preset vehicle door latch with a
force-transmitting pin mounted for controlled floating within slots
formed in a side-by-side contactor and locking lever. The latch is
of the "impulse" type in that the second preset operation may be
performed completely while the door is open so that the door may be
closed and locked simply by being swung shut in a normal
fashion.
Inventors: |
Marx; Thomas O. (Rockton,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Atwood Vacuum Machine Company
(Rockford, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
25308373 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/850,524 |
Filed: |
August 15, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
292/216; 292/280;
292/DIG.26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E05B
85/243 (20130101); Y10S 292/26 (20130101); Y10T
292/308 (20150401); E05B 77/14 (20130101); E05B
77/18 (20130101); Y10T 292/1047 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
E05B
65/32 (20060101); E05B 65/20 (20060101); E05c
003/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;292/216,198,229,280,336.3,216J |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wolfe; Robert L.
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. A latch having a base, a latching element mounted on said base
to move between latched and unlatched positions, a pawl operable to
hold said latching element in said latched position and releasable
to free the latching element for movement to said unlatched
position, a manually operable actuator formed with an elongated
slot and mounted on said base for movement from a normal position
to an operated position when actuated, said actuator being biased
to return toward said normal position when released, a locking
lever disposed side by side with said actuator and mounted on said
base for movement between unlocked and locked positions, said
locking lever also being formed with a slot with portions of the
two slots registering with one another in all positions of said
actuator and said locking lever, a connector extending through the
two slots and slidable within said elongated slot between positions
coupling and uncoupling said actuator with said pawl in response to
movement of said locking lever between said unlocked and locked
positions, said connector, when said locking lever is in said
unlocked position, sliding within a first portion of said slot in
said locking lever in response to movement of said actuator to said
operated position and engaging the pawl to release the latter from
said latching element, said connector, when said locking lever is
in said locked position, sliding within a second portion of said
slot in said locking lever and making an idle movement with respect
to said pawl upon movement of said actuator to said operated
position whereby the actuator free-wheels without releasing the
pawl from the latching element, kickout means operable to move said
locking lever to said unlocked position when said latching element
is moved from said unlatched position to said latched position with
said locking lever disposed in said locked position, and a pocket
formed in the second position of said slot in said locking lever,
the improvement in said latch comprising, means acting on said
locking lever and serving to shift the locking lever to an impulsed
position in response to movement of said actuator to said operated
position but only when said locking lever first has been moved to
said locked position, one edge of each of said lots engaging said
connector as the actuator is moved to said operated position and as
the locking lever is shifted to said impulsed position and moving
said connector into registry with said pocket, means on said pawl
thereafter engaging said connector and holding the latter in
registry with said pocket after release of said actuator for return
to said normal position, and said connector thereafter, upon
movement of said locking lever toward said unlocked position by
said kickout means, lodging in said pocket and bearing against an
edge of the pocket to return said locking lever to said locked
position as said latching element moves into said latched
position.
2. A latch as defined in claim 1 in which said means on said pawl
comprises a projection extending from one side of the pawl.
3. A latch as defined in claim 2 in which said locking lever is
biased to turn from said locked position to said impulsed position,
said connector engaging one edge of said projection when said
actuator is in said normal position and when said locking lever is
in said locked position and preventing turning of said locking
lever to said impulsed position, said connector engaging another
edge of said projection when said actuator is in said operated
position and when said locking lever is in said impulsed position
and preventing return of the actuator to said normal position.
4. A latch as defined in claim 3 in which said pawl swings toward
said latching element as the latter turns from said unlatched
position to said latched position, said projection swinging with
said pawl and, when so swinging when said connector is in
engagement with said other edge of said projection, permitting
movement of said connector toward said latching element thereby to
enable said locking lever to return to said locked position.
5. A latch for a vehicle door and having a support, a latching
element mounted on said support to move between latched and
unlatched positions, locking mechanism mounted on said support and
including a first manual member operable from the inside of the
door and movable in response to a manual operation between locked
and unlocked positions, said locking mechanism being operable when
said manual member is in said locked position and when said
latching element is in said latched position to maintain the
latching element in the latched position and operable when the
member is in said unlocked position to permit release of the
latching element, cancelling means mounted on said support and
operable always to move said manual member from said locked
position toward said unlocked position as said latching element is
moved from said unlatched position to said latched position with
said manual member disposed in said locked position, said manual
member normally remaining in said unlocked position when moved to
such position by said cancelling means, and a second manual member
operable from one side of the door and movable in response to a
manual operation from a normal position to an operated position,
said second manual member being biased to return automatically
toward said normal position when manually released, the improvement
in said latch comprising, means connected to said second manual
member and operable in response to movement of the second manual
member from said normal position to said operated position, when
said latching element is in said unlatched position and said first
manual element is in said locked position, to cause shifting of
said first manual member to an impulsed position, said first manual
member, when in said impulsed position, returning automatically to
said locked position immediately after being moved toward said
unlocked position by said cancelling means, and means on said
support for preventing return of said second manual member to said
normal position after release of said second manual member for
return toward said normal position thereby to keep said first
manual member in said impulsed position whereby the latching
element may be moved to said latched position without manually
holding second manual member in said operated position and, after
movement of the latching element to the latched position, said
first manual member will be in said locked position.
6. A latch as defined in claim 5 in which said second manual member
may be operated from the outside of the door to cause shifting of
said first manual member to said impulsed position.
7. A latch as defined in claim 5 in which said second manual member
may be operated from the outside of the door and from the inside of
the door to cause shifting of said first manual member to said
impulsed position.
8. A latch as defined in claim 5 in which said second manual member
may be operated both from the outside of the door and from the
inside of the door to cause shifting of said first manual member to
said impulsed position.
9. A latch having a base, a latching element mounted on said base
to move between latched and unlatched positions, a pawl operable to
hold said latching element in said latched position and releasable
to free the latching element for movement to said unlatched
position, a manually operable actuator formed with an elongated
slot and mounted on said base for movement from a normal position
to an operated position when manually actuated, a locking lever
disposed side by side with said actuator and mounted on said base
for movement between unlocked and locked positions, said locking
lever also being formed with a slot with portions of the two slots
registering with one another in all positions of said actuator and
said locking lever, a connector extending through the two slots and
slidable within said elongated slot between positions coupling and
uncoupling said actuator with said pawl in response to movement of
said locking lever between said unlocked and locked positions, said
connector, when in said coupling position, sliding within said slot
in said locking lever in response to movement of said actuator to
said operated position and engaging the pawl to release the latter
from said latching element, said connector, when in said uncoupling
position, sliding within said slot in said locking lever and making
an idle movement with respect to said pawl upon movement of said
actuator to said operated position whereby the actuator free-wheels
without releasing the pawl from the latching element, and kickout
means operable to move said locking lever to shift said connector
to said coupling position when said latching element is moved from
said unlatched position to said latched position with said locking
lever disposed in said locked position and said connector disposed
in said uncoupling position, the improvement in said latch
comprising, means acting on said locking lever and moving the
latter to an impulsed position in response to manual movement of
said actuator from said normal position to said operated position
after said locking lever first has been shifted to said locked
position, and means holding said locking lever in said impulsed
position when said actuator thereafter is manually released for
return from said operated position to said normal position, said
locking lever, when in said impulsed position, serving to keep said
connector in said uncoupling position as said latching element
moves from said unlatched position to said latched position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to a latch for use on the door of
an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, the invention
constitutes an improvement over the comparatively simple and
compact latch disclosed in Ploughman U.S. application Ser. No.
751,194, filed Aug. 8, 1968, and assigned to the same assignee as
the present application. The latch disclosed in the Ploughman
application is of the dual preset type in that the latch
automatically is placed in an unlocked condition each time the door
is closed unless two separate manual operations are performed prior
to closing of the door to preset the latch for keyless locking.
That is, to achieve keyless locking with the latch of the Ploughman
application, it is necessary to first shift an inside operated
member to a locked position before closing the door and then
manually hold an outside operated member in an operated position
while the door is being swung shut.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary aim of the present invention is to provide a new and
improved dual preset latch which possesses the simplicity and
compactness of the Ploughman latch but which is of the so-called
"impulse" type. That is to say, the present latch may be preset for
keyless locking by first shifting the inside operated member to a
locked position while the door is open and then by only momentarily
actuating or "impulsing" the outside operated member. Thereafter,
the door may be swung closed in a normal manner and without need of
holding the outside member in an operated position during such
swinging to effect locking of the door. If desired, the second
preset operation may be performed by impulsing a second inside
manually operated member rather than the outside operated
member.
The invention also resides in the novel manner of holding the parts
of the latch in an impulsed condition and in the relative simple
addition which has been made to a latch of the Ploughman type to
incorporate the impulse feature into such latch.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary cross section taken horizontally through a
vehicle door equipped with a latch incorporating the novel features
of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the
line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing the latch in a locked and latched
condition.
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the latch in a
freewheeling condition when an attempt is made to release the latch
when the latter is locked.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the latch in an
unlocked and latched condition.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the latch being
released to enable opening of the door.
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the latch as seen from the
left in FIG. 4 and taken substantially along the line 6--6 of FIG.
4.
FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the latch in an
unlatched condition and with the first of two necessary manual
operations having been performed on the latch to preset the latch
for keyless locking.
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but showing the second manual
preset operation being performed on the latch to place the latter
in an impulsed condition.
FIG. 9 is a view of parts shown in FIG. 8 and showing the position
of such parts after the latch has been placed in an impulsed
condition.
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are views similar to FIG. 2 but showing the
latch in an impulsed condition and illustrating the successive
positions the parts assume during closing of the door.
FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the latch as seen from the
right in FIG. 10 and taken substantially along the line 13--13 of
FIG. 10.
FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary view of parts illustrated in
FIGS. 2 and 3 and showing the parts in an impulsed position in full
and in a freewheeling condition in phantom.
FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14 but showing the parts in an
unlocked position in full and in a latch-releasing condition in
phantom.
FIG. 16 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along
the line 16--16 of FIG. 15.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a pawl for holding the latch in a
latched condition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the
invention is embodied in a latch 20 particularly adapted for use
with the door 21 of an automotive vehicle and including a pivoted
latching element 23 (FIG. 2) carried by the door and coacting with
a cylindrical striker pin 24 mounted on a post 25 of the vehicle
frame to hold the door in a tightly closed position. In this
instance, the latching element is a forklike member formed with a
recess 26 (FIG. 5) for receiving the striker. As the door is swung
closed, contact of an edge 27 of the recess with the striker
rotates the latching element counterclockwise from an unlatched
position shown in FIG. 5 to a secondary latched position shown in
FIG. 12 and then to a fully latched position shown in FIG. 4 to
prevent separation of the latching element from the striker and
thus hold the door closed.
Herein, the latching element 23 is journaled for rotation
intermediate the ends of a fixed horizontal pin 29 (FIG. 2) which
is anchored at its ends to a pair of vertically extending metal
baseplates 31 and 32 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 13) spaced from and fastened
to each other and housed within the door 21. The baseplate 31 is
attached to the end wall 33 of the door and is formed with flanges
35 and 36 extending between the two plates and along opposite
sidewalls of the door. Most of the parts of the latch are encased
within the enclosure formed by the plates and the flanges, and the
entire latch is housed within the door such that the latch is
concealed without any parts thereof projecting beyond the end wall
of the door. A recess 37 (FIG. 3) formed in the base plate 31 and
an aligned recess (not shown) formed in the door end wall expose
the recess 26 of the latching element for latching with the striker
24 when the door is swung to the closed position.
Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that an arcuate peripheral
edge 64 of the latching element 23 constitutes a ratchet and is
formed with a pair of angularly spaced teeth 66 and 67 adapted to
be engaged by a clocking-type pawl member 69. The pawl 69 is
fulcrumed to pivot on a fixed horizontal shaft 70 extending between
the baseplates 31 and 32 above the pin 29 and is formed with a
projecting tooth 71 extending downwardly toward the latching
element and engageable sequentially with the teeth 66 and 67 as the
latching element is rotated counterclockwise. The pawl is urged
into engagement with the ratched by a torsion spring 73 (FIGS. 1
and 13) surrounding the shaft 70 and anchored at its ends to the
pawl and to the flange 36. When the pawl swings downwardly and
drops off of the edge 64 into engagement with the ratchet tooth 66,
the latching element 23 is held in its secondary or safety latched
position (FIG. 12) and, when the pawl engages the tooth 67, the
latching element is held in its fully latched position (FIG. 2).
Clockwise turning (FIG. 2) of the pawl 69 about the shaft 70
releases the latching element 23 and enables the latter to turn
clockwise from the latched position shown in FIG. 2 to the
unlatched position shown in FIG. 5 to release the striker 24 and
permit opening of the door 21. A contractile spring 74 (FIG. 5) is
stretched between the flange 36 and the latching element and
continuously urges the latter toward the unlatched position so that
the latching element automatically turns to such position upon
release of the pawl. When the latching element is in its unlatched
position, the pawl tooth 71 engages the edge 64 of the latching
element, and the pawl is disposed in a more elevated position than
when the pawl tooth is in engagement with either of the ratchet
teeth 66 and 67.
To release the pawl 69 from the latching element 23 to unlatch the
door 21, an actuator member or contactor lever 75 (FIGS. 3 and 14)
is pivoted on the shaft 70 in side-by-side relation with the pawl
and is adapted, when swung clockwise about the shaft from a normal
position (FIG. 4) to an operated position (FIG. 5), to cause
lifting of the pawl away from the latching element to release the
latter for turning to its unlatched position under the urging of
the spring 74. Clockwise swinging of the contactor 75 about the
shaft 70 may be effected from the outside of the vehicle by turning
a lever 76 (FIG. 13) which is pivoted on the plate 32 at 77 and
which is formed with a lug 78 overlying one end portion of the
contactor. The lever is connected to an outside pushbutton (not
shown) by an actuating link 79 and, in response to depression of
the pushbutton, turns counterclockwise (FIG. 13) about the pivot 77
and into engagement with the contactor to swing the latter
clockwise about the shaft 70 to its operated position (FIG. 5).
Instead of being operated from the outside of the vehicle by a push
button, the contactor may be actuated by an outwardly pullable
outside handle (not shown) operably connected to the link 79. To
return the contactor to its normal unoperated position, a torsion
spring 80 (FIGS. 1 and 13) surrounds the shaft 70 and is anchored
at its ends to the flange 36 and to the contactor to swing the
latter counterclockwise when the outside pushbutton is
released.
The pawl 69 may be released from the latching element 23 from the
inside of the vehicle by swinging a lever 81 (FIG. 6) which is
pivoted on the flange 35 at 82 and which is formed with a lug 83
directly underlying a finger 84 formed on and projecting from one
end of the contactor 75. A link 85 connects the lever 81 to an
inside door handle (not shown) which is operable to rock the lever
to cause the lug 83 to move under and lift the finger 84 to swing
the contactor 75 clockwise about the shaft 70.
Coupling of the contactor 75 to the pawl 69 to trip the latch in
response to operation of the contactor is effected in the present
instance by a force-transmitting connector 87 which moves with the
contactor and which normally (FIGS. 4, 5 and 15) transfers the
clockwise motion of the contactor to the pawl to swing the latter
away from the latching element 23. To lock the latch and prevent
unauthorized opening of the door 21, the transmitting connector 87
is shifted to a position (FIGS. 2, 3 and 14) uncoupling the
contactor from the pawl so that the contactor, when actuated,
simply makes an idle motion or free-wheels with respect to the pawl
and thus is ineffective to move the pawl out of engagement with the
latching element. The transmitting connector is shifted from its
coupling position (FIG. 15) to its uncoupling position (FIG. 14) in
response to the turning of an inside manually operable member in
the form of a locking lever 90 from an unlocked position to a
locked position. The locking lever, which is formed with three
angularly spaced arms 91, 92 and 93 (FIG. 15), is disposed side by
side with the pawl 69 and the contactor 75 and is journaled on a
stud 94 anchored to the base plate 32 and paralleling the shaft 70.
To turn the locking lever 90 between its locked and unlocked
positions shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, respectively, a garnish button
(not shown) or other suitable member accessible from the inside of
the door is attached to the arm 93 of the lever by a vertical rod
95. Up and down movement of the garnish button turns the locking
lever back and forth between the unlocked and locked positions. In
addition, the latch may be unlocked from the outside of the vehicle
by a key which, upon being turned, operates through a linkage 95a
to move the locking lever to the unlocked position. A toggle spring
96 (FIG. 2) anchored between the arm 93 and the base plate 32 snaps
back and forth overcenter as the locking lever is turned between
its positions and serves to hold the lever yieldably in each of its
positions.
As mentioned above, the force-transmitting connector 87 moves with
the contactor 75 when the latter is actuated and serves to release
the pawl 69 from the latching element 23. In addition, the
transmitting connector is moved between its unlocked and locked
positions. Advantageously, the force-transmitting connector 87
simply floats in slots 97 and 98 (FIGS. 14 and 15) formed in the
contactor 75 and the locking lever 90, respectively, so as to be
movable both with and relative to the contactor and the locking
lever. When the contactor 75 is actuated, the edge of the slot 97
in the contactor shifts the transmitting connector 87 within the
slot 98 and into engagement with the pawl 69. When the locking
lever 90 is shifted, the edge of the slot 98 moves the transmitting
connector to either its coupling or uncoupling position with the
connector floating within the slot 97 and relative to the contactor
during such movement. As a result of the slots, the transmitting
connector may be moved by either the contactor or the locking lever
and may move relative to both the contactor and the locking lever
without requiring additional mounting elements for producing and
accommodating the movements. Accordingly, the cost, complexity and
size of the latch are reduced.
In this instance, the slot 98 (FIG. 15) in the locking lever 90 is
formed through the arm 92 and includes upper and lower portions,
the upper portion being substantially straight and the lower
portion, when the locking lever is in its unlocked position (FIG.
15), being substantially concentric with an arc struck about the
center of the shaft 70. The slot 97 in the contactor 75 is
straight, extends generally lengthwise of the contactor, and is
located such that portions of the two slots 97, 98 register in all
positions of the locking lever
As shown most clearly in FIGS. 14 and 16, the force-transmitting
connector 87 herein is simply a small cylindrical pin which is
projected slidably through the slots 97 and 98 in closely spaced
relation with the edges of the slots. A washer 99 (FIG. 16) on one
end of the connector pin 87 prevents the latter from slipping out
of the slot 97 and a similar washer 100 on the other end of the pin
retains the pin in the slot 98. In the unlocked position of the
locking lever 90 (FIGS. 4 and 15), the pin 87 is disposed in its
coupling position in the lower portion of the slot 98 and in the
extreme left end of the slot 97 in underlying relation with a lug
101 (FIGS. 4, 15 and 17) formed integrally with and projecting from
the pawl 69. Thus, when the contactor 75 is actuated and swung
clockwise about the shaft 70, the lower edge of the slot 97 engages
the pin 87 to shift the latter into contact with the underside of
the lug 101 thereby to lift or swing the pawl 69 away from the
latching element 23 (as shown in FIG. 5 and in phantom in FIG. 15)
to release the latching element from the striker 24. As the pin 87
is shifted by the contactor, it simply floats or slides within the
lower portion of the slot 98 in the locking lever 90 and, as a
result of the curvature of the lower portion, the pin neither binds
in the slot nor disturbs the position of the locking lever. Thus,
as long as the locking lever is in its unlocked position, the pin
couples the contactor to the pawl and transmits the motion of the
contactor to the pawl to release the latter when the contactor is
actuated.
When the locking lever 90 is swung counterclockwise to its locked
position (FIGS. 2 and 14) to lock the door 21, the left edge of the
slot 98 engages the connector pin 87 and slides the latter from
left to right within the slot 97 to its uncoupling position near
the right end portion of the slot 97 as shown in FIG. 14. As the
locking lever is turned, the edges of the slot 98 slide downwardly
along the pin such that the pin, upon reaching the uncoupling
position, is disposed in the upper portion of the slot 98. In the
uncoupling position, the pin is spaced laterally from the lug 101
on the pawl 69 and no longer underlies the lug. Accordingly, when
the contactor 75 is actuated to bring the lower edge of the slot 97
into lifting engagement with the pin 87, the latter simply moves
upwardly within the slot 98 and passes by the lug 101 (as shown in
FIG. 3 and in phantom in FIG. 14) without engaging the lug to trip
the pawl and release the latching element 23. The contactor thus
makes the idle motion or free-wheels with respect to the pawl and
is ineffective to trip the latch and open the door. The door
therefore is locked and, until unlocked by either the key or the
garnish button, cannot be opened from either the inside or the
outside of the vehicle.
As described thus far, the latch 20 is substantially identical to
the latch disclosed in the aforementioned Ploughman application and
is comparable in compactness and simplicity to the Ploughman latch.
Like the Ploughman latch, the present latch is of the
self-cancelling, dual preset type capable of keyless locking from
the outside of the vehicle if and only if two separate operations
are performed in proper sequence to preset the latch prior to
closing of the door. That is, the locking action of the latch is
cancelled and the latch is restored automatically to an unlocked
condition as the door is closed if only one preset operation has
been performed. The chances of accidentally and unintentionally
locking the door thus are reduced. If both preset operations are
performed before closing the door, however, the latch will be in a
locked condition after the door has been closed, thus permitting
keyless locking. With the Ploughman latch, the first preset
operation is performed by shifting the locking lever of the latch
to a locked position by the inside garnish button while the door is
open. The second preset operation then is effected by shifting the
contactor to its operated position through depression of the
outside pushbutton and by holding the contactor in such position
during closing of the door by manually keeping the pushbutton
depressed while swinging the door shut.
In accordance with the primary aspect of the invention, the basic
simplicity and compactness of the Ploughman latch are maintained in
the present latch 20 and yet the present latch is of the "impulse"
type in that the second preset operation may be performed on the
latch simply by momentarily actuating or "impulsing" the outside
pushbutton or other outside member and without need of holding the
push button in a depressed condition as the door is swung closed.
As a result, both preset operations may be fully performed while
the door is open and then the door may be closed and locked simply
by swinging the door shut in a normal fashion.
More specifically and referring to FIG. 7, it will be seen that the
arm 92 of the locking lever 90 is formed with a relatively straight
lower edge 105 which, in the locked position of the locking lever
(FIG. 7), projects downwardly along one side of the latching
element 23. A cancelling means in the form of a kickout lug 106 is
attached to the side of the latching element 23 and is disposed in
opposing relation with the edge 105 of the locking lever 90 when
the latching element is in its unlatched position. Thus, if the
locking lever 90 is turned to its locked position (FIG. 7) by
accidental depression of the garnish button when the door is open,
the kickout lug 106 will engage the edge 105 of the locking lever
as the door is closed and as the latching element 23 is turned
counterclockwise to its latched position. As a result of such
engagement, the locking lever is turned clockwise about the stud 94
to its unlocked position (FIGS. 4 and 14), and the right edge of
the slot 98 engages the connector pin 87 to slide the latter from
right to left within the slot 97 to its coupling position beneath
the pawl lug 101. Accidental locking of the door thus is prevented
since the latch 20 is restored automatically to an unlocked
condition if the door is closed with the locking lever having been
set in its locked position by depression of the garnish button and
without an additional preset operation having been performed on the
latch.
In keeping with the principles of the invention, the latch 20 will
return to a locked state upon closing of the door 21 if, after
shifting of the locking lever 90 to its locked position, the
outside push button is depressed only momentarily while the door is
open to impulse the contactor 75 and shift the latter to its
operated position. When the pushbutton is depressed, the contactor
75 is swung clockwise about the shaft 70 by the lever 76 to raise
the connector pin 87 into the extreme upper end portion of the
curved slot 98 (see FIG. 8). Before being raised by the contactor,
the pin bears against the left side edge of a small projection or
embossment 109 (FIGS. 7, 15 and 16) formed integrally with and
projecting outwardly from the outer face of the pawl 69 and thus
prevents counterclockwise turning of the locking lever 90 beyond
its locked position shown in FIG. 7 under the urging of the toggle
spring 96. As the pin is raised upwardly by swinging of the
contactor 79, however, the pin moves above the side edge of the
embossment to release the locking lever 90 to the action of the
spring 96. Accordingly, the locking lever 90 is turned slightly
counterclockwise beyond its locked position to an impulsed
condition (FIG. 8) and, during such turning, the left edge of the
curved slot 98 engages the pin 87 and shifts the latter from left
to right within the elongated slot 97 to a position located
directly over and spaced above the top edge of the embossment 109
(see FIG. 8). In the impulsed condition of the locking lever 90,
the arm 93 thereof engages the flange 35 and prevents further
counterclockwise swinging of the locking lever.
Being shifted to a position above the embossment 109 by the
combined action of the contactor 75 and the locking lever 90, the
pin 87 is pulled downwardly into engagement with the top edge of
the embossment 109 (see FIG. 9) by the upper edge of the slot 97
when the outside pushbutton is manually released to allow the
contactor to swing counterclockwise toward its normal position.
Such physical engagement of the pin with the embossment prevents
the contactor from returning fully to its normal position and holds
the contactor in an intermediate impulsed position as shown in FIG.
9.
When the pin 87 is in engagement with the top edge of the
embossment 109 and when the locking lever 90 is in its impulsed
condition (FIG. 9), the pin is disposed above and just to the left
of an enlarged pocket 110 (FIGS. 9 and 15) formed at one side of
the upper end portion of the curved slot 98. In this position, the
pin is disposed in the path of clockwise swinging of the bottom
edge of the pocket 110 and thus may be considered to be in registry
with the pocket. The latch 20 now is in an impulsed condition and,
even though the outside pushbutton has been manually released, the
door 21 may be closed and locked automatically by simply swinging
the door shut and without need of holding the pushbutton depressed
during such swinging.
As the door 21 closes and the latching element 23 is turned to its
latched position, the kickout lug 106 engages the lower edge 105 of
the locking lever 90 as before and starts turning the locking lever
clockwise from the position shown in FIG. 9 toward the unlocked
position shown in FIG. 4. Just before the locking lever reaches its
unlocked position, the bottom edge of the pocket 110 swings
upwardly into engagement with the connector pin 87 and shifts the
latter just slightly from right to left in the elongated slot 97
but keeping the pin positioned over the embossment 109 (see FIGS.
10 and 11). The, the kickout lug 106 turns past and clears the
lower edge 105 of the locking lever and, immediately thereafter,
the pawl 69 drops downwardly behind the ratchet tooth 66 on the
latching element 23. Such dropping of the pawl lowers the
embossment 110 and allows the pin 87 to be shifted downwardly by
the upper edge of the slot 97 in the contactor 75, the latter thus
being freed to swing counterclockwise toward its normal position
under the urging of the torsion spring 80.
The effective forece of the torsion spring 80 is greater than that
of the toggle spring 96 which biases the locking lever 90 to its
unlocked position. Thus, with the contactor 75 freed to swing
counterclockwise and with the pin 87 bearing against the bottom of
the pocket 110, the torsion spring 80 acts through the pin and the
pocket to cause the locking lever 90 to return counterclockwise to
its locked position as soon as the pawl 69 drops downwardly behind
the ratchet tooth 66 (see FIG. 12). As the latching element 23
continues to turn and as the pawl rides over the upper surface of
the tooth 67, the pawl, the pin and the contactor are shifted
slightly but not enough to shift the locking lever from its locked
position. The locking lever thus is in its locked position when the
latching element reaches its fully latched position with the pawl
disposed behind the ratchet tooth 67. In the locked position of the
locking lever, the pin 87 is, of course, disposed in its uncoupling
position with respect to the lug 101 on the pawl 69 so that the
door thus is locked upon being closed and cannot be opened without
first using the key or shifting the garnish button.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that the locking lever 90 is
turned automatically to an unlocked position each and every time
the door 21 is closed with the locking lever 90 in a locked
position but, if the contactor 75 is impulsed by momentary
depression of the outside push button before closing of the door,
the locking lever is automatically returned to its locked position
when the door reaches its secondary or fully latched positions
thereby to effect keyless locking of the door. Advantageously, the
contactor 75 also may be impulsed from the inside of the door by
actuating the inside door handle while the door is open and after
setting the locking lever 90 in its locked position. Actuation of
the inside handle causes the lever 81 to swing the contactor 75
clockwise to its operated position and effect impulsing of the
latch. Thus, one may open the door slightly, perform a dual preset
operation on the latch from the inside of the door while sitting in
the vehicle, pick up a large package from the vehicle, and then
simply kick the door shut after leaving the vehicle and without
need of using either hand to effect closing and locking of the
door.
The latch 20 is simple and compact in construction like the
Ploughman latch with the only addition necessary to make the latch
of the impulse type being the formation of the embossment 110 on
the pawl 69. The embossment physically holds the contactor 75 out
of its normal position and enables the parts to return to a locked
condition upon closing of the door. While simple in nature, the
embossment imparts an entirely different and advantageous mode of
operation to the latch 20 as compared to the Ploughman latch.
* * * * *