Motor-vehicle door latch with built-in switch

US4911488A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Kiekert GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Horst Brackmann · Velbert, DE
• Peter Barte · Hattingen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 1, 1988
• Grant date: Mar 27, 1990
• Expiry date: Dec 1, 2008

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T292/688
• WIPO field: Civil engineering
• WIPO sector: Other fields

Abstract

A motor-vehicle door-latch assembly for securing a door to a doorpost invention has a latch fork pivoted on the door, a support mounted on a doorpost, and a bolt projecting from the support and engageable by the fork to retain the door against the doorpost. An electric switch mounted on the support adjacent the bolt is operated by an actuating element engageable by the fork on closing of the door to actuate the switch. Thus the switch can be tucked out of the way inside the post-mounted bolt assembly where it is not exposed to the elements. In addition according to this invention the fork has a curved camming edge which slides over the actuating element. As a result the switch is actuated gently even if the door is slammed, since the camming edge, which typically extends as a spiral centered on the rotation axis of the fork, can reduce a substantial travel of the door to a small travel of the actuating element.