Latching assembly and method of operating the same

Abstract

A latch assembly comprising: a manual release lever rotatably mounted to the latch assembly for movement about a first axis, the manual release lever operably coupled to an inboard release handle; a release link pivotably mounted to the manual release lever for movement about a second axis; a child lock lever rotatably mounted to the latch assembly for movement about a third axis; a gear rotatably mounted to the latch assembly for movement about a fourth axis, the gear rotated by a motor, the motor driving a worm, the worm meshingly engaging teeth of the gear; a child lock switch positioned to detect a position of the child lock lever; a gear position switch positioned to detect a position of the gear; the gear having a first cam surface configured to contact a cam surface of the child lock lever when the gear is rotated to a locked position, contact of the first cam surface with the cam surface of the child lock lever causing the child lock lever to rotate about the third axis, and rotation of the child lock lever about the third axis causing the release link to pivot about the second axis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure relate to the field of vehicle latches, and more particularly to child lock mechanisms for vehicle latches. Background Technology

[0002] Child lock mechanisms are commonly found in vehicles. They are a feature of the rear door release mechanism that, when activated, prevents the door from being released from the inside handle. This is achieved in the latch assembly by separating the inside release handle from the rest of the release mechanism. This separation can be done manually or electromechanically.

[0003] When applying electromechanical devices to provide child locking functionality, a unique DC motor and drivetrain are typically required to engage / disengage the system. Therefore, it is necessary to include an additional motor within the latch to provide electromechanical actuation of the child lock mechanism. Thus, it is desirable to provide an alternative method for electromechanically actuating the child lock mechanism without incorporating an additional motor within the latch. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A latching assembly is disclosed, comprising: a manual release lever rotatably mounted to the latching assembly for movement about a first axis, the manual release lever being operably coupled to an inner release handle; a release link pivotally mounted to the manual release lever for movement about a second axis; a child locking lever rotatably mounted to the latching assembly for movement about a third axis; a gear rotatably mounted to the latching assembly for movement about a fourth axis, the gear being rotated by a motor, the motor driving a worm gear that meshes with the teeth of the gear; a child lock switch positioned to detect the position of the child locking lever; and a gear position switch positioned to detect the position of the gear; wherein the gear has a first cam surface configured to contact a cam surface of the child locking lever when the gear is rotated to a locked position, and the contact between the first cam surface and the cam surface of the child locking lever causes the child locking lever to rotate about the third axis, and the rotation of the child locking lever about the third axis causes the release link to pivot about the second axis.

[0005] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, rotation of the gear to the locked position will cause the manual release lever to disengage from the pawl of the latch assembly.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the gear rotating to the locking position will cause the child locking lever to engage the child lock switch.

[0007] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the first cam surface of the gear is integrally formed with the gear, such that the gear and the first cam surface of the gear are formed as a single component.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the child lock switch and the gear position switch are connected to a controller that controls the operation of the latch assembly by providing a signal to the motor to rotate the gear.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, a power release lever is also included, which is rotatably mounted to the latch assembly for movement about the third axis, wherein rotation of the power release lever by the gear causes the pawl of the latch assembly to disengage from the pawl of the latch assembly.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the power release lever rotates independently of the child locking lever.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the gear has a second cam surface that engages with the upper part of the power release lever when the gear is rotated by the worm.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the second cam surface is integrally formed with the gear such that the second cam surface rotates with the gear, and the second cam surface and the gear are formed as a single component.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the power release lever rotates via the gear, the lower part of the power release lever contacts a pawl release lever operably connected to the pawl.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the power release lever rotates via the gear, the lower part of the power release lever contacts a pawl release lever operably connected to the pawl.

[0015] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, operation of the motor in the first direction will move the power release lever, and operation of the motor in the second direction opposite to the first direction will move the child locking lever.

[0016] A method for operating a latch assembly is also disclosed, comprising: rotating a gear in a first direction by a motor to disengage a manual release lever from a pawl of the latch assembly; and moving the pawl by rotating the gear in a second direction by the motor, the second direction being opposite to the first direction. Brief description of the attached figures The following description should not be construed as limiting in any way. Referring to the accompanying drawings, similar elements are numbered the same: Figure 1 Components of a latch assembly according to this disclosure are shown; Figure 2 and Figure 3 A latch assembly according to this disclosure is shown, comprising a pawl, a ratchet, and a ratchet release lever; Figure 4 Components of an electrically operated child lock system according to the latch assembly of this disclosure are shown; Figure 5 The inner release lever and release linkage of the latch assembly according to this disclosure are shown; Figure 6 and Figure 7 The interface between the child locking lever and the release lever of this disclosure is shown; Figure 8 The interface between the gears of the power lock system of the latch assembly according to this disclosure and the child locking lever is shown when the child locking lever is in the "locked" state; Figure 9 The interface between the gears of the power lock system of the latch assembly according to this disclosure and the child locking lever is shown when the child locking lever is in the "unlocked" state; Figure 10 The electrically operated child lock system is shown in the "unlocked" state; Figure 11 The image shows an electrically operated child lock system in the "unlocked" state when the inner release lever has been actuated. Figure 12 The electrically operated child lock system is shown in the "locked" state; Figure 13 This illustrates an electrically operated child lock system that is in a "locked" state when the inner release lever has been actuated. Figure 14 The components of the latch assembly according to this disclosure are shown; and Figures 15A-15C The movement of the power release lever according to this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] This document describes in detail one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and methods by way of example rather than limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] A latch is disclosed that provides child locking functionality using an existing motor within the same latch subassembly, such as a motor used for central locking or power release functions. Cost-effectiveness is achieved by creating a multi-purpose actuator that shares a single motor.

[0019] For this specific application, the latch system is an electrically released latch, and the child lock system is activated by a motor controlled by system logic or by a button that can be activated by the driver. A secondary requirement of this system is that a motor must provide both the electrically operated child lock function and the electrically released latch function. To achieve this, the system must be able to distinguish whether it is in a locked, unlocked, or released state, and must be able to accurately and consistently control and position the gears to start and stop at any of these positions.

[0020] This disclosure allows for the integration of an electrically operated child lock into an electrically released latch, using the same motor and gears that provide the electrically released function. The key to this system is providing three distinct and detectable travel positions or zones for the release gear. There must be a "release zone" where the gear drives the release system to open the latch, a "locked zone" where the gear has disengaged the inner release handle from the pawl release lever, and a "home" or "unlocked zone" where the gear does not drive the child lock or release system. To detect these three zones, two switches are used to determine the current state of the gear.

[0021] A "gear position home" switch is used to determine whether the gear is in the "release zone". If this switch is on, the system knows that the gear is actuating the latch pawl or pawl to open. The second switch is a "child lock" switch, used to determine whether the gear has actuated the child lock lever to the locked position. If both switches are off, the system knows that it is in the "home zone" or "unlock zone".

[0022] For the mechanical function of the system, there are two main ways to provide the child locking function for the mechanism: a two-bar system or a single-bar system. In a two-bar system, the child locking lever is used to engage or disengage the inner release lever from the pawl release lever. In this particular system, the release linkage is connected to the inner release lever, which is actuated by the child locking lever to engage or disengage with the pawl release lever. Therefore, in general, the gear moves the child locking lever, thereby moving the release linkage to engage or disengage with the pawl release lever. A secondary configuration of this system is a dual-purpose power release lever, which further provides the function of the child locking lever. In this alternative configuration, the power release lever will have a "release zone," a "home zone," or an "unlocked zone," and a "locked" position, much like a gear. Therefore, rather than two separate levers, the function of both is provided by a single lever. The main advantage of the two-bar design is the packing and reduction of the required lever travel, while the single-bar design eliminates one component.

[0023] Figure 1 Components of a latch assembly 10 according to this disclosure are shown. The latch assembly 10 includes a manual release lever 12 rotatably mounted to the latch assembly for movement about a first axis 14. The manual release lever 12 is operatively connected to an inner release handle 16 via a cable 18. A release link 20 is pivotally mounted on the manual release lever 12 for movement about a second axis 22.

[0024] The latch assembly also includes a pawl 24 rotatably mounted to the latch assembly 10 for rotation about axis 26 and for engaging and disengaging a hammer (not shown), as known in the prior art. A pawl 28 is also rotatably mounted to the latch assembly 10 for rotation about axis 30 to engage and disengage from the pawl 24, thereby holding the pawl 24 in a primary or secondary (e.g., closed) state, or allowing the pawl 24 to rotate to an open position (e.g., the disengaged position of the pawl 26). A pawl release lever 32 is also shown, rotatably mounted for movement about axis 30. The pawl release lever 32 is operatively coupled to the pawl 28 such that rotation of the pawl release lever 32 will cause a corresponding movement of the pawl 28.

[0025] Under certain conditions, depending on the state of the electric child lock system, the release link 22 is operably fixed to the pawl release lever 32. Thus, by moving the manual release lever, the movement of the release link 20 will cause the pawl release lever 32 to rotate, the pawl 28 will separate from the pawl, and the latch 10 will open.

[0026] The child locking lever 34 of the latch assembly 10 is rotatably mounted on the latch assembly for movement about a third axis 36. A gear 38 is rotatably mounted on the latch assembly 10 for movement about a fourth axis 39. The gear 38 is rotated by a motor 40 (shown in dashed lines), which drives a worm gear 42 (shown in dashed lines) that meshes with the teeth 44 of the gear 38. A child lock switch 46 is positioned to detect the position of the child locking lever 34, and a position home switch 48 is positioned to detect the position of the gear 38.

[0027] Figure 2 and 3 A pawl 24, a pawl 28, and a pawl release lever 28 according to the present disclosure are shown. A spring 50 for providing a biasing force to the pawl release lever 28 is also shown.

[0028] Figure 4 Components of the power lock system 52 of the latch assembly 10 according to this disclosure are shown.

[0029] Figure 5The inner release lever 12 and release link 20 of the latch assembly 10 according to this disclosure are shown. The release link 20 pivots on the inner release lever 12, offset from the axis of the first pivot axis 14 of the inner release lever. The release link 20 is relative to the spring 54. Figure 5 The image shown is biased by a spring in a counterclockwise direction.

[0030] Figure 6 and Figure 7 The interface between the child locking lever 34 and the release link 20 of this disclosure is shown. A boss 56 on the child locking lever 34 is used to raise the release link 20 in the direction of arrow 58 to lock the latch assembly with the electrically operated child locking system 52. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The interface is shown in the area circled in dashes.

[0031] Figure 8 The interface between the child locking lever 34 and the gear 38 of the power locking system 52 of the latch assembly 10 according to this disclosure is shown when the child locking lever 34 is in the "locked" state. The child locking lever 34 is moved to the "locked" state via the gear 38. The gear 38 has a gear cam or cam surface or a first cam surface 70 integrally formed with the gear 38, such that the gear cam 70 rotates together with the gear 38, and the cam surface 70 and the gear 38 are formed as a single component. The gear cam 70 is configured to engage the cam surface 72 of the child locking lever 34. When the gear cam 70 contacts the cam surface 72 of the child locking lever 34, the child locking lever 34 rotates about a third axis 36. This contact occurs when... Figure 8 The area indicated by the dashed line is shown in the middle. Figure 8 In the middle, the child locking lever 34 is spring-biased in a counter-clockwise direction. Figure 8 As shown, the child locking lever 34 contacts the child lock switch 46, so that when the child locking lever is in the "locked" state, the child lock switch 46 is turned on.

[0032] Figure 9 The interface between the gear 38 of the power lock system 52 of the latch assembly 10 according to this disclosure and the child locking lever 34 is shown when the child locking lever 34 is in the "unlocked" state. The child locking lever 34 is moved to the "unlocked" state when the gear cam 70 no longer contacts the cam surface 72 of the child locking lever 34. Figure 9 The area indicated by the dashed line illustrates this lack of contact. This is due to the lack of contact between the gear cam 70 and the cam surface 72, and the child locking lever 34 in... Figure 8 The child lock lever 34 is offset counterclockwise in the counterclockwise direction. When the child lock lever 34 is in the "unlocked" state, the child lock lever 34 rotates counterclockwise and no longer contacts the child lock switch 46, causing the child lock switch 46 to disconnect.

[0033] like Figure 10 As shown, the child locking lever 34 is in the "unlocked" state. Thus, when the manual release lever 12 rotates in the direction of arrow 74, the release linkage 20 moves in the direction of arrow 76 until it contacts the pawl release lever 32. The pawl release lever 32 then rotates around axis 30, and the pawl 28 rotates away from the pawl 24. This movement... Figure 11 As shown in [the image]. Figure 10 and Figure 11 In the middle, switches 46 and 48 are not actuated and are in the open state.

[0034] like Figure 12 As shown, the child locking lever 34 is in the "locked" state. Thus, when the manual release lever 12 is rotated in the direction of arrow 74, the release linkage 20 moves in the direction of arrow 76, but it does not contact the pawl release lever 32, and the pawl 28 does not rotate away from the pawl 24. This movement... Figure 13 As shown in [the image]. Figure 12 and 13 In the middle, switch 46 is actuated, thus being in the ON state.

[0035] Switches 46 and 48 are connected to a controller, microcontroller, or processor 78, which controls the operation of the latch assembly 10 by providing signals to the motor 40 to rotate the gear 38.

[0036] The latch assembly 10 utilizes valid logic from switches 46 and 48 to control the release gear 38 to start and stop at different travel points / areas to control the electric child lock system 52, thus allowing one gear 38 and motor 40 to provide child locking and power release functions. The child locking lever 34 is driven to the "locked" state by the gear 38 or the power release gear 38, thereby disengaging the release linkage 20 from the pawl release lever 32.

[0037] Now for reference Figures 14-15C The latching system 10 is shown with a power release lever 80. As shown, the power release lever 80 is rotatably mounted to the latching assembly 10 and is also movable about a third axis 36. In other words, in a non-limiting embodiment, the power release lever 80 and the child locking lever 34 pivot about the same axis. The movement of the power release lever 80 is independent of the movement of the child locking lever 34, and the movement of the child locking lever 34 is independent of the power release lever 80. The movement of the power release lever 80 is caused by a second cam surface 82, which engages the upper portion 84 of the power release lever 80 when the gear 38 is rotated by the worm gear 42. The second cam surface 82 is integrally formed with the gear 38 such that the second cam surface 82 rotates together with the gear 38, and the second cam surface 82 and the gear 38 are formed as a single component.

[0038] When gear 38 is relative to at least Figures 14-15C When the view shown is rotated counterclockwise about the fourth axis 39, the second cam surface 82 will contact the upper part 84 of the power release lever 80, and the power release lever 80 will rotate about the third axis 36 in the direction of arrow 86. During this movement, the lower part 88 of the power release lever 80 will contact the pawl release lever 32 and move the pawl release lever 32 in the direction of arrow 76. This will cause the pawl release lever 32 to rotate, the pawl 28 will separate from the pawl 26, and the latch 10 will open.

[0039] In another configuration of the system, release lever 20 can drive power release lever 80 instead of pawl release lever 32, or release lever 20 can be connected to pawl release lever 34 and disengage from inner release lever 12 due to movement of child locking lever 34 (opposite configuration). The key point here is that movement of child locking lever 34 disengages the inner release system of the lever, enabling the latch to open.

[0040] In a non-limiting embodiment, a single spring 90 returns the power release lever 80 and the child locking lever 34 to their respective original positions. As used herein, the original positions of the power release lever 80 and the child locking lever 34 refer to their positions before being rotated by the gear 38. In an alternative embodiment, two separate springs may be used, one for the power release lever 80 and the other for the child locking lever 34.

[0041] In one non-limiting embodiment, a single spring is used to rotate the power release lever 80 and the child locking lever 34 about the same third axis 36. Alternatively, they can rotate or pivot on separate axes.

[0042] In one embodiment, the child lock switch 46 is actuated to disconnect from the child locking lever 34 for a two-lever design (e.g., a separate power release lever 80 and a child locking lever). For a single-lever design, the child lock switch 46 is actuated to disconnect from the power release lever 80. In another alternative embodiment, the child lock switch 46 may be actuated to disconnect from the gear 38 or the release linkage, providing the same functionality.

[0043] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, if the child locking lever 34 begins to move the release link 20 in any way (indicating partial disengagement), the child lock switch 46 is activated, and the fully “locked” state is determined by the activation of the child lock switch and the gear 38 being driven to decelerate against the hard stop, such that the gear no longer rotating will be the child locking system fully disengaged.

[0044] The term “approximately” is intended to include the degree of error associated with measuring a specific quantity based on the equipment available at the time of application submission. For example, “approximately” could include a range of ±8%, ±5%, or ±2% for a given value.

[0045] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that when the terms “comprising” and / or “including” are used in this specification, they specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0046] While this disclosure has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes can be made and elements can be substituted with equivalents without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, many modifications can be made to adapt particular situations or materials to the teachings of this disclosure without departing from the basic scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed as the best mode for carrying out this disclosure, but rather this disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A latching assembly (10), comprising: Manual release lever (12), which is rotatably mounted to the latch assembly (10) for movement about a first axis (14), and which is operatively coupled to an inner release handle (16); Release link (20), which is pivotally mounted to the manual release lever (12) to move about a second axis (22); A child locking lever (34) is rotatably mounted to the latch assembly (10) to move about a third axis (36); Gear (38), which is rotatably mounted to the latch assembly (10) for movement about a fourth axis (39), the gear (38) is driven to rotate by a motor (40), the motor (40) driving a worm (42), the worm (42) engaging the teeth (44) of the gear (38) in a meshing manner; A child lock switch (46) is configured to detect the position of the child locking lever (34); A gear position switch (48) is configured to detect the position of the gear (38); and The gear (38) has a first cam surface (70) configured to contact the cam surface (72) of the child locking lever (34) when the gear (38) is rotated to the locked position. The contact between the first cam surface (70) and the cam surface (72) of the child locking lever (34) will cause the child locking lever (34) to rotate about the third axis (36), and the rotation of the child locking lever (34) about the third axis (36) will cause the release link (20) to pivot about the second axis (22). Rotating the gear (38) to the locked position will cause the manual release lever (12) to disengage from the pawl (28) of the latch assembly (10); The latch assembly (10) further includes a power release lever (80) rotatably mounted on the latch assembly (10) for movement about the third axis (36), wherein rotation of the power release lever (80) via the gear (38) causes the pawl (28) of the latch assembly (10) to disengage from the pawl (24) of the latch assembly (10); the power release lever (80) rotates independently of the child locking lever (34); Operation of the motor (40) in the first direction will move the power release lever (80), and operation of the motor (40) in the second direction opposite to the first direction will move the child locking lever (34).

2. The latch assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein, Rotating the gear (38) to the locked position will cause the child locking lever (34) to contact the child lock switch (46).

3. The latch assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The first cam surface (70) of the gear (38) is integrally formed with the gear (38), such that the gear (38) and the first cam surface (70) of the gear (38) are formed as a single component.

4. The latch assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The child lock switch (46) and the gear position switch (48) are connected to a controller (78), which controls the operation of the latch assembly (10) by providing a signal to the motor (40) to rotate the gear (38).

5. The latch assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The gear (38) has a second cam surface (82) that engages with the upper part (84) of the power release lever (80) when the gear (38) is rotated by the worm (42).

6. The latch assembly (10) according to claim 5, wherein, The second cam surface (82) is integrally formed with the gear (38) such that the second cam surface (82) rotates with the gear (38), and the second cam surface (82) and the gear (38) are formed as a single component.

7. The latch assembly (10) according to claim 6, wherein, When the power release lever (80) rotates via the gear (38), the lower part (88) of the power release lever (80) contacts the pawl release lever (32) operably connected to the pawl (28).

8. The latch assembly (10) according to claim 5, wherein, When the power release lever (80) rotates via the gear (38), the lower part (88) of the power release lever (80) contacts the pawl release lever (32) operably connected to the pawl (28).

9. A method of operating the latch assembly (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, comprising: The gear (38) is rotated in a first direction by the motor (40), disengaging the manual release lever (12) from the pawl (28) of the latch assembly (10); and The pawl (28) is moved by rotating the gear (38) in a second direction, which is opposite to the first direction, via the motor (40).

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