Closure Latch

Abstract

A vehicle body door lock includes a fork bolt mounted on the frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions, a detent mounted on the frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to the bolt, and outside operating means which are selectively coupled and uncoupled with respect to the detent. An inside remote lever is swingably mounted on the frame and connected to the inside remote handle for movement in opposite directions upon corresponding movement of the remote handle. A detent release lever is coaxially mounted with the remote lever and has a foot overlying the detent. A connecting link is connected at one end to the release lever and the other end of the link mounts a pin slidable in a slot of a connecting lever coaxially mounted with the remote lever and release lever. The connecting lever is positionable in connected and disconnected positions and respectively located in each position by an overcenter coil torsion spring and the engagement of tabs of the lever with the detent and the frame. When the connecting lever is in connected position, the pin of the connecting link is engageable by a foot of the remote lever to move the release lever into engagement with the detent and release the detent upon movement of the remote lever in one direction by the remote handle. When the detent is moved by the bolt, the detent engages the positioning tab of the connecting lever to move the lever to disconnected position and move the pin of the connecting link out of the path of the remote lever foot. Movement of the remote lever by the remote handle in an opposite direction engages a foot of the remote lever with the positioning tab of the connecting lever to move the connecting lever to connected positions.

Description

This invention relates to closure latches and more particularly to vehicle body door locks of the type wherein closing movement of the door automatically disconnects the inside release means.

The door lock of this invention includes a coupling arrangement between the inside remote handle and the detent whereby closing movement of the door automatically disconnects the remote handle from the detent. Further, the door lock includes a resetting arrangement whereby movement of the remote handle in a direction opposite its normal direction of movement serves to reconnect the remote handle with the detent. Thus, the remote handle is automatically disconnected each time the door is closed but can be selectively connected by an occupant of the vehicle when desired in a very simple and expeditious manner and without requiring the operation of any other operating means.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide an improved vehicle body door lock having a coupling arrangement for automatically disconnecting the remote handle from the detent each time that the door is closed and being selectively operable by movement of the remote handle in a direction opposite its normal direction of movement to reconnect the remote handle and the detent.

This and other objects of the door lock of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevational view of a vehicle body embodying a door lock according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partially broken away view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 2--2 of FIG. 1 and showing the bolt in latched position and the coupling arrangement connecting the remote handle to the detent;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view of the coupling arrangement when the remote handle is releasing the detent;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the coupling arrangement disconnecting the remote handle from the detent; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the coupling arrangement disconnecting the remote handle and detent.

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a vehicle body designated generally 10 includes a front door 12 swingably mounted adjacent its forward edge 14 on the body for movement between a closed position as shown and an open position, not shown. Door 12 is held in closed position by a door lock designated generally 16 according to this invention.

The door lock 16 is best shown over-all in FIGS. 2 and 7, and, except for the coupling arrangement, is similar to that shown and described in Fox et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,682, issued June 22, 1965 and assigned to the assignee of this invention.

Generally the lock 16 includes a main frame 18 and an auxiliary frame 20 which is staked at various places 22 to the main frame. A fork bolt 24 is swingably mounted on a pivot pin 26, extending between the main and auxiliary frames, for movement between a latched position shown in FIG. 2, wherein the bolt engages a conventional headed striker pin 27, and an unlatched position counterclockwise thereof. A coil torsion spring 28 is mounted on the pivot pin 26 and hooked between the main frame and the bolt to continuously bias the bolt to unlatched position. The detent 30 is on a pin 32, extending between the main and auxiliary frames, for movement between a detented position as shown, wherein the detent foot 34 engages a shoulder 36 of the bolt, and an undetented position, not shown, wherein the detent foot 34 is out of engagement with the bolt shoulder 36 or a second bolt shoulder 37 and engages an edge portion 38 of the bolt upon movement of the bolt to unlatched position. The detent is conventionally biased to detented position by a torsion spring as shown.

An outside door handle assembly 40, FIG. 1, includes a conventional push button assembly having a push rod 42 indicated in FIG. 2. The push rod 42 is adapted to engage a lateral flange of an outside operating lever 44 which is pivoted at 46 on an extension 48 of the main frame 18. A coil torsion spring 50 on the pivot 46 is hooked between a notched lateral tab 52 of extension 48 and a notched tab 54 of an intermittent lever 56. The intermittent lever is pivotally and slidably connected at 58 to the lever 44 by means of a slot in the lever 44 and an offset tab of the intermittent lever. The action of the spring 50 engages an edge of a slot 60 in the lever 44 with the tab 52 to normally locate the levers 44 and 56 as shown. The lower end of the intermittent member 56 includes a lateral tab 62 which normally underlies a shoulder 64 of the detent 30. Shifting movement of the lever 66 upwardly by the lever 44 engages tab 62 and shoulder 64 to move the detent to released position against the action of its biasing spring.

A locking lever 66 pivoted at 68 to the auxiliary frame is movable between an unlocked position, as shown, and a locked position slightly clockwise thereof. The locking lever is selectively and alternately located in each position by engagement of a lateral tab 70 of the auxiliary frame with opposite edges of a notch 72 in the locking lever. An overcenter type coil torsion spring 74 alternately biases the locking lever to either position. When the locking lever is in locked position, tab 62 is located to the left of shoulder 64 to uncouple the intermittent member 56 from the detent 30. A conventional garnish button assembly 76 is provided to move the locking lever 66 between locked and unlocked positions.

The coupling arrangement of this invention includes an inside remote lever 78, FIGS. 3, 5, 6 and 7, pivoted at 80 on a lateral flange 82 of the auxiliary frame 20. A shiftable rod 84 connects the lever 78 with an inside remote handle 86, FIG. 1, which is movable either counterclockwise or clockwise of its position shown to thereby either respectively release the detent 30 or reconnect the inside remote handle and the detent as will be described. A detent release lever 88 is also pivoted to the flange 82 at 80 and includes a foot 90 which overlies an extension or leg 92 of the detent 30. A coupling lever 94 is coaxially pivoted at 80 with the inside remote lever 78 and the detent release lever 88 and includes a foot 96 which underlies the extension 92 of the detent 30.

A coupling link 98 has its upper end pivoted at 100 to the release lever 88. The lower end of the link 98 mounts a headed pin 102 which is slidably received within a closed slot 104 of the coupling lever 94. An overcenter type coil torsion spring 106 is hooked between the coupling lever 94 and the flange 82 to selectively and alternately bias the lever 94 between a coupled position, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, wherein foot 96 engages the lower edge of extension 92 of the detent 30 and an uncoupled position, shown in FIG. 6, wherein a lateral tab 108 of the lever 94 engages the frame 20.

When the coupling lever 94 is in coupled position shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, and the inside remote handle 86 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 1, a foot 110 of the lever 78 will engage the shank of the pin 102 to shift link 98 upwardly as shown in FIG. 5. This rotates the lever 88 clockwise as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 5. The engagement of foot 90 of lever 88 with the extension 92 of detent 30 rotates the detent 30 clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2 and moves the detent foot 34 out of engagement with the shoulder 36 to permit the bolt 24 to move to unlatched position. Thus the door 12 can be moved to open position.

Assume now that the door 12 is in open position and that the occupant closes the door. As the door is closed, the engagement of bolt 24 with the shank of the striker pin 27 will rotate the bolt clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, from its unlatched position, not shown, toward latched position. As the bolt rotates, the engagement and disengagement of shoulder 37 of the bolt with the detent foot 34 will intermittently swing the detent 30 clockwise as viewed in FIG. 2. Such intermittent movement of the detent will move the extension 92 downwardly as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 7. The engagement of the extension with the foot 96 of lever 94 will swing the lever clockwise of its FIG. 3 position. This will move spring 106 overcenter as tab 108 engages frame 20 to position the lever 94 as shown in FIG. 6. As lever 94 moves to this position, the camming action of slot 104 on pin 102 moves pin 102 downwardly of slot 104 and rotates link 88 clockwise to position the pin out of the path of the foot 110 of the remote lever 78. Accordingly, the inside remote handle 86 is automatically disconnected from the detent each time that the door is closed without requiring that the operator perform any conscious effort other than closing the door.

When the door is in closed position and an occupant thereafter desires to leave the vehicle, he first rotates the inside remote handle 86 slightly clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1. With reference to FIG. 6, this clockwise movement of the remote handle will result in counterclockwise movement of the lever 78 to engage a lateral tab 112 of the remote lever with the foot 96 of the lever 94. This rotates the lever 94 counterclockwise from its FIG. 6 position to its FIG. 3 position as spring 106 moves overcenter and foot 96 engages extension 92. Pin 102 is again located in the path of the remote lever foot 110. A tab 114 of lever 88 engages flange 82 and locates the lever 88 against clockwise movement when lever 98 moves counterclockwise. Thereafter, upon counterclockwise movement of the remote handle, the detent will be moved out of engagement with the bolt as previously described.

Thus, this invention provides an improved door lock wherein the inside remote handle is automatically disconnected from the detent each time that the door is closed and is selectively reconnected by a slight movement of the remote handle in a direction opposite the normal direction of movement required for release of the detent.

Claims

We claim:

1. In a vehicle body having a door, a door lock mounted on the door and including a lock frame, a detent swingably mounted on the frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to a bolt mounted on the frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions, and an inside release member movably mounted on the body, the combination comprising, a remote lever swingably mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the inside release member, a detent release lever swingably mounted on the frame for engagement with the detent to move the detent to released position upon swinging movement of the remote lever in one direction relative to the frame, the detent release lever being engageable by the detent upon movement of the detent by the bolt to swing the detent release lever in an opposite direction relative to the frame, connecting means selectively and alternately positionable in connecting and disconnecting positions to selectively and alternately connect and disconnect the remote lever and the detent release lever, means operable by the remote lever for positioning the connecting means in connecting position, and means operable upon movement of the release lever by the detent for positioning the connecting means in disconnecting position.

2. In a vehicle body having a door, a door lock mounted on the door and including a lock frame, a detent swingably mounted on the frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to a bolt mounted on the frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions, and an inside release member movably mounted on the body, the combination comprising, a remote lever swingably mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the inside release member, a detent release lever swingably mounted on the frame for engagement with the detent to move the detent to released position upon swinging movement of the remote lever in one direction relative to the frame, the detent release lever being engageable by the detent upon movement of the detent by the bolt to swing the detent release lever in an opposite direction relative to the frame, means connected to the detent release lever and selectively positionable in the path of movement of the remote lever for engagement thereby to selectively connect the remote lever and the detent release lever, means operable by the remote lever for positioning the connecting means in the path of movement of the remote lever, and means operable upon movement of the release lever by the detent for positioning the connecting means out of the path of movement of the remote lever.

3. In a vehicle body having a door, a door lock mounted on the door and including a lock frame, a detent swingably mounted on the frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to a bolt mounted on the frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions, and an inside release member movably mounted on the body, the combination comprising, a remote lever swingably mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the inside release member, a detent release lever swingably mounted on the frame for engagement with the detent to move the detent to released position upon swinging movement of the remote lever in one direction relative to the frame, the detent release lever being engageable by the detent upon movement of the detent by the bolt to swing the detent release lever in an opposite direction relative to the frame, an abutment member mounted on the release lever for movement therewith and movement relative thereto, a connecting member operatively connected to the abutment member means mounting the connecting member on the frame for selective and alternate movement between connecting and disconnecting positions wherein the connecting member selectively and alternately positions the abutment member in the path and out of the path of the remote lever, means operable by the remote lever for positioning the connecting member in connecting position, and means operable upon movement of the release lever by the detent for positioning the connecting member in disconnecting position.

4. In a vehicle body having a door, a door lock mounted on the door and including a lock frame, a detent swingably mounted on the frame for movement between holding and released positions with respect to a bolt mounted on the frame for movement between latched and unlatched positions, and an inside release member movably mounted on the body, the combination comprising, a remote lever swingably mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the inside release member, a detent release lever swingably mounted on the frame for engagement with the detent to move the detent to released position upon swinging movement of the remote lever in one direction relative to the frame, the detent release lever being engageable by the detent upon movement of the detent by the bolt to swing the detent release lever in an opposite direction relative to the frame, a connecting link swingably mounted on the detent release lever and including an abutment member, a connecting member swingably mounted on the lock frame for movement between connecting and disconnecting positions and including a slot slidably receiving the abutment member to position the abutment member in the path of the remote lever when the connecting member is in connecting position and to position the abutment member out of the path of the remote lever when the connecting member is in disconnecting position, means on the remote lever engageable with the connecting member upon swinging movement of the remote lever in one direction to position the connecting member in connecting position, the remote lever being swingable in an opposite direction into engagement with the abutment member to move the release lever and release the detent, movement of the release lever by the detent moving the connecting member to disconnecting position by engagement of the abutment member with the slot thereof.