Vehicle door latch with cinching mechanism
US5918917A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 22, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jul 6, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 22, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T292/1082
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A vehicle door latch has a rotatable fork bolt that is latched by a detent in primary or an intermediate secondary latch position. The detent is operated via an intermittent lever that is operated by a transfer lever that is actuated by inside and outside door handles via suitable mechanical linkage. The door latch includes a locking lever that disables the door handles from operating the intermittent lever when it is in the locked position. The door latch also includes a cinching mechanism that automatically engages the fork bolt in the primary latch position when the intermediate secondary latch position is reached. The cinching mechanism shifts out of the way responsive to an unlatching operation to provide a fail-safe feature.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.