Vehicle latch and a method

Abstract

A vehicle latch comprising: a cinching mechanism located inside the vehicle latch, the cinching mechanism comprising: a cinching lever operably connected to an actuator by a cable, the cinching lever rotatably mounted to the latch for movement about a pivot axis, the cinching lever fixed to a webbing blank lever, the webbing blank lever pivotably mounted to a webbing drive link by a first pivot axis; a pawl pivotably mounted to the latch for movement between an open position and an initial position; a bearing fixed to the webbing drive link by a second pivot axis; an override clutch lever; a pawl release lever operably connected to a pawl; and an override clutch link pivotably fixed to the override clutch lever and the pawl release lever, the override clutch link comprising a transverse tab that interacts with a door half-open cam, the door half-open cam operably connected to the pawl of the latch so as to limit movement of the override clutch lever when the pawl of the latch is in the open position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein pertain to vehicle latching technology. Background Technology

[0002] The desired outcome is to connect the latch and the remote latching actuator via a cable to allow the latching mechanism to pull the door from a secondary position to an initial closed position. However, it is desirable to prevent the latch from performing the latching function when the door is in the open position, as this could potentially lead to undesirable latching behavior, where undesirable interaction exists between the latch drive link and the latch's pawl. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent the latch drive link from contacting the pawl when the latch is latched in the open position, to avoid the aforementioned undesirable interaction between the latch drive link and the pawl. Summary of the Invention

[0003] A vehicle latch is disclosed, comprising: a fastening mechanism located within the vehicle latch, the fastening mechanism including: a fastening rod operably connected via a cable to an actuator, the fastening rod being rotatably mounted to the latch for movement about a pivot, the fastening rod being fixed to a tether blank rod, the tether blank rod being pivotally mounted via a pivot to a tether drive link; a pawl pivotally mounted to the latch for movement between an open position and an initial position, the tether drive link being configured to contact a pawl blank of the pawl to move the pawl into the initial position during a fastening operation of the latch; and a bearing. The bearing is pivotally fixed to the tether drive link, the bearing passing through a channel of the overdrive lever during interaction between the pawl blank and the tether drive link; an overdrive clutch lever; a pawl release lever operably connected to the pawl; and an overdrive clutch linkage pivotally fixed to the overdrive clutch lever and the pawl release lever, wherein the overdrive clutch linkage includes a transverse tab that interacts with a door half-open cam, the door half-open cam being operably connected to the pawl of the latch to restrict movement of the overdrive clutch lever when the pawl of the latch is in the open position.

[0004] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the overrunning clutch link includes a post that interacts with the tie rod and provides restraint on the overrunning clutch lever when the latch is in the open position.

[0005] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl of the latch is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage allows the overrunning clutch lever to return to the rest position.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl of the latch is in the open position, the post contacts the retaining feature of the tie rod.

[0007] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl is in the secondary position and the tie rod is rotated by the actuator, the overdrive lever contacts the overdrive clutch lever.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the overdrive clutch link includes a post that interacts with the tie rod when the latch is in the open position.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl of the latch is in the open position, the post contacts the retaining feature of the tie rod.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl of the latch is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage allows the overrunning clutch lever to return to the rest position.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl of the latch is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage allows the overrunning clutch lever to return to the rest position.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the bearing is rotatably fixed to the pivot.

[0013] A method is also disclosed for preventing the overrun lever of a vehicle latch from contacting an overrun clutch lever during a tightening operation of the vehicle latch when the latch is in the open position. The method includes pivotally securing an overrun clutch linkage to the overrun clutch lever and a pawl release lever of the vehicle latch, wherein the overrun clutch linkage includes a lateral tab that interacts with a door half-open cam operably connected to the pawl of the latch to restrict movement of the overrun clutch lever when the pawl of the latch is in the open position.

[0014] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, the overrunning clutch linkage includes a post that interacts with a tie rod connected via a cable to an actuator of the vehicle latch and provides restraint on the overrunning clutch lever when the latch is in the open position.

[0015] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl of the latch is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage allows the overrunning clutch lever to return to the rest position.

[0016] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl of the latch is in the open position, the post contacts the retaining feature of the tie rod.

[0017] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative to any of the foregoing embodiments, when the pawl is in the secondary position and the tie rod is rotated by the actuator, the overdrive lever contacts the overdrive clutch lever. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a view of the internal fastening mechanism according to this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the interaction between the overdrive clutch linkage and the tie rod of the present invention;

[0020] Figures 3A-3C This illustrates the interaction and displacement between the overrunning clutch linkages when the latch is engaged in the second position;

[0021] Figures 4A-4C This illustrates the interaction and displacement between the tether drive link and the pawl when the latch is engaged in the second position;

[0022] Figure 5A The tether drive linkage and the tether overrunning clutch lever according to this disclosure are shown when the latch is in the open position;

[0023] Figure 5B The present disclosure shows the tethered drive link and the tethered overrunning clutch lever when the latch is in the open position and there is no overrunning clutch link;

[0024] Figure 6 It is a perspective view of the interaction between the overrunning clutch linkage and the half-open cam door when the latch is in the open position;

[0025] Figure 7 It is a perspective view of the bearing and the belt drive link pivot assembled into the belt drive link;

[0026] Figure 8 The overdrive lever and the tether drive linkage of the internal fastening mechanism according to this disclosure are shown;

[0027] Figure 9 A perspective view of a latch with a remotely tightening actuator and its cable is shown;

[0028] Figure 10 This illustrates a cam-door microswitch assembled into a circuit carrier (ECC); and

[0029] Figure 11 The components of a vehicle latch according to this disclosure are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0030] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and methods is presented herein by way of example rather than limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] This document discloses an internal fastening mechanism 40 for use with a vehicle latch 10 operably connected to a remote fastening actuator 20. In a non-limiting embodiment, the vehicle latch 10 is configured for use with a side door of a vehicle. The internal fastening mechanism 40 includes an overmolded fastening bar 18 connected to the remote fastening actuator 20 via a cable 30. The overmolded fastening bar 18 includes a tether blank 48 that moves a tether drive link 14 and is also attached to a bearing 24 that will rotate freely in a second pivot 27 that passes through a channel 9 of a tether override lever 8 to allow interaction between the tether drive link 14 and a pawl 22, such that the pawl 22 can rotate from a secondary position to a primary position on its second pivot 27 during fastening operation. Therefore, the tether overrun function is a device that stops tether operation at any time during tether driving and when the vehicle battery is depleted, and includes a tether overrun lever 8 that interacts with a tether overrun clutch lever 12 connected to a tether overrun linkage 2, which is also connected to a pawl release lever 4, thus allowing the tether drive linkage 14 to disengage from the latch pawl 22.

[0032] As used herein and as known in the related art, the initial position refers to the closed position of the latch 10, wherein the pawl 22 holds the striker 50 and the door associated with the vehicle latch 10 is fully closed and the pawl 52 is in an engaged position holding the pawl 22 in the closed or initial position. As used herein and as known in the related art, the open position of the latch 10 refers to the position where the pawl 22 no longer holds the striker 50 and the door associated with the vehicle latch is open or can be opened, and the pawl 52 moves to a disengaged position such that the pawl 22 can rotate from the closed or initial position to the open position. As used herein and as known in the related art, the secondary position refers to the partially closed position of the latch 10, wherein the pawl 22 holds the striker 50 and the door associated with the vehicle latch is partially closed, and the pawl 52 is in another engaged position holding the pawl 22 in a second position.

[0033] The internal fastening mechanism 40 specifies the conditions under which the latch 10 should perform the fastening function via the position of the overrunning clutch lever 12, and is further controlled by the fastening overrunning link 2. The fastening overrunning link 2 incorporates a lateral tab 72 for retention and engagement, which directly contacts the door half-open cam 6, with the aim of stopping the pawl 22 from rotating from the open position to the secondary position (fastening function) at an undesirable time. Furthermore, the fastening overrunning link 2 also includes a post 70 in the bottom region that interacts with the overmolded fastening lever 18. The overmolded fastening lever 18 includes a retaining feature 76 in its upper region to maintain its engagement with the fastening overrunning link 2 and ensure that the fastening overrunning link 2 can return to its rest position to allow engagement 23 between the fastening overrunning lever 8 and the overrunning clutch lever 12 during the secondary position.

[0034] Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the internal fastening mechanism 40 of the latch 10 includes an overmolded fastening rod 18 rotatably mounted to the latch for rotation or movement about a pivot 16. The overmolded fastening rod 18 is movable via a tethered drive link 14 connected to a bearing 24 via a second pivot 27. The bearing 24 travels through a channel 9 of the fastening control lever 8 to maintain the tethered drive link 14, which moves the pawl 22, from a secondary position to an initial position (see...). Figure 1 The first interaction will be achieved via a remote tension actuator 20, which will be connected via a cable 30 to the overmolded tension rod 18, as... Figure 7 As shown. These fastening capabilities are controlled by a door half-open switch 32 integrated into the circuit carrier (ECC) 36, see [reference]. Figure 10 When the vehicle sends a signal to the latch to begin the fastening operation, the remote fastening actuator 20 begins to pull the fastening actuator cable 30, moving the fastening lever 18, which causes the fastening drive link 14 to begin rotating on its first pivot 26 and to contact the claw blank 41 of the claw 22, causing the claw 22 to move from the secondary closed position to the initial closed position.

[0035] If latch 10 cannot fully reach its secondary position, but door half-open switch 32 is compressed (e.g., in a door springback situation), remote locking actuator 20 will be activated, causing undesired functions including locking, while latch 10 is in the open position, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 5B Referring to region 43 in Figure 5B, it illustrates undesirable contact between the latching overrunning lever 8 and the latching overrunning clutch lever 12 when the latching pawl 22 is in the open position and a latching operation occurs. According to this disclosure, this interaction can occur during a latching operation without the overrunning clutch lever 2. Activating the remote latching actuator 20 in this position could also potentially damage the pawl 22 and its encapsulation.

[0036] To prevent this problem, this disclosure allows the fastening mechanism 40 to always be in a bypass state if the latch 10 is in the open position. As used herein, the bypass state of the fastening mechanism means that the overmolded fastening lever 18 is rotated by the cable 30, wherein the tether drive link 14 is not in contact with the pawl 22 when the latch 10 is in the open position. This is accomplished by disengaging the engagement 23 between the overrunning clutch lever 12 and the overrunning lever 8. See at least [reference needed]. Figure 4A and 5A In region 25. When these levers (overrunning clutch lever 12 and overrunning lever 8) are disengaged, the tethered drive link 14, which travels along the channel 9 of the overrunning lever 8, will deviate from its path from the tightening operation, causing it to bypass the pawl 22 and avoid contact between the pawl 22 and the tethered drive link 14.

[0037] To achieve this, the post 70 located on the overrunning clutch linkage 2 will contact the covering mold of the tensioning rod 18, specifying a new position for the overrunning mechanism. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 2 Furthermore, the transverse tab 72 added to the overrunning clutch linkage 2, which directly contacts the portion 78 of the door half-open cam 6, will prevent the overrunning clutch linkage 2 from moving the overrunning clutch lever 12 to the engaged state when the latch 10 is in the open position. See [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 6 The portion 78 of the half-open cam 6 can be a wall of the cam surface extending upward from the half-open cam 6. When the latch 10 is in the secondary position, there is no longer contact between the transverse cam 72 of the overrunning clutch linkage 2 and the portion 78 of the half-open cam 6. Therefore, the overrunning clutch linkage 2 will follow the encasing mold of the clamping rod 18 while performing the clamping operation until it contacts and reaches the pawl release lever 4 (see...). Figures 3A-3C This causes the overrunning clutch lever 12 and the overrunning lever 8 to engage 23, allowing the tether drive link 14 to engage the claw blank 41 and reach the initial closed position of the latch 10.

[0038] Therefore, the robust fastening mechanism 40 inside the latch 10 allows the fastening rod 18 to rotate freely and perform its fastening movement when the latch is in the open state. Figure 5A At the same time, it maintains the integrity of the surrounding latching components and prevents the latch 10 from performing a tightening function, which includes pulling the door from a secondary position to the initial position.

[0039] The mechanism includes a tie rod 18, which is overmolded and attached to the tie blank 48 of the tie drive link 14 via a first pivot 26. The tie drive link 14 interacts with the claw blank 41 to perform a tie function. Furthermore, the tie drive link 14 is also connected to a bearing 24 via a second pivot 27, which passes through a channel 9 of the overrunning lever 8 to allow the intended interaction between the claw blank 41 and the tie drive link 14. The mechanism also includes an overrunning clutch lever 12, which, together with the overrunning lever 8, performs an overrunning function to prevent a tie operation from occurring.

[0040] When latch 10 is in the secondary state, overrunning lever 8 and overrunning clutch lever 12 remain engaged 23, allowing bearing 24 to travel through channel 9 of overrunning lever 8, thereby keeping tether drive link 14 in contact with claw blank 41 in its predetermined path, thus achieving the tightening function. However, when latch 10 is in the open position, the two levers (overrunning lever 8 and overrunning clutch lever 12) avoid each other, thereby limiting the interaction between overrunning lever 8 and bearing 24 and preventing contact between claw blank 41 and tether drive link 14.

[0041] This is primarily achieved through two components: the overrunning clutch link 2 and the tie rod 18. The overrunning clutch link 2 is directly mounted on the pivot hole 29 of the overrunning clutch lever 12, thus influencing the position of the overrunning clutch lever 12. This component is also assembled with the pawl release lever 4 via a slot 74 included on the opposite side, which is crucial for enabling the overrunning function. The overrunning clutch link 2 includes a lateral lug 72 that interacts with the door half-open cam 6 to restrict the movement of the overrunning clutch lever 12 when the latch 10 is in the open position. Furthermore, the link 2 also includes a post 70 in the lower region that interacts with the tie rod 18, providing additional restriction to the overrunning clutch lever 12 in the open position but allowing it to return to its rest position when the latch is in the secondary state. The interaction between the overrunning clutch link 2 and the tie rod 18 is possible because the retaining feature 76 on the upper region of the tie rod 18 restricts the movement of the overrunning clutch link 2. However, these features do not prevent the tightening lever 18 from moving in the open state of the latch 10, so that the tightening lever 18 can still complete the tightening stroke without affecting other components within the latch 10.

[0042] The tightening mechanism also includes an overriding pivot 42, a clutch pivot 44, and a tightening pivot 16 that holds the overriding lever 8, the overriding clutch lever 12, and the tightening lever 18 in place. The tightening mechanism also includes a tightening spring and an overriding clutch spring 46, which provide sufficient output to allow the tightening lever 18 and the overriding clutch lever 12 to return to their rest positions. Furthermore, the overriding lever 8 and the overriding clutch lever 12 are assembled via their pivots 42 and 44 to a striker 50 that restricts their vertical movement.

[0043] Therefore, an internal fastening mechanism 40 is provided. The internal fastening mechanism 40 includes a fastening rod 18 that is overmolded and attached via a first pivot 26 to a tethering blank 48 of the tethering drive link 14. The tethering drive link 14 is also connected to a bearing 24 that travels through the surface 11 of a guide feature or overrunning clutch lever 12 channel 9 to allow interaction between the claw blank 41 and the tethering drive link 14 to perform a fastening operation.

[0044] The internal fastening mechanism 40 controls these conditions, in which the fastening function is performed by prohibiting the interaction between the fastening drive link 14 and the claw blank 41 during the open state of the latch 10 and only allowing the latch 10 to be fastened from the secondary state.

[0045] This is achieved by modifying the geometry of the overrunning clutch link 2, as this component is crucial for indicating the position of the overrunning clutch lever 12. The overrunning clutch link 2 is reinforced by adding a lateral cam 72 for retention and engagement, which will prevent movement of the overrunning clutch link 2 by interacting with the door half-open cam 6. Furthermore, the post 70 located at the bottom of the overrunning clutch link 2 serves as a further safety device to prevent the overrunning clutch from engaging the link 2 during the open state of the latch 10, while ensuring that it can still return to its rest position during the secondary state, thereby facilitating the generation of the desired engagement 23 between the overrunning lever 8 and the overrunning clutch lever 12 to allow the latch to pull the door from the secondary closed position to the initial closed position.

[0046] Furthermore, the tie rod 18 also plays a crucial role in achieving the aforementioned objectives by including a retaining feature 76 in its upper region that facilitates the interaction between the tie rod 18 and the overrunning clutch linkage 2. This new feature supports the linkage 2 in maintaining its intended position and prevents unintended interaction between the claw blank 41 and the belt drive linkage 14. However, this feature does not prevent the rotation of the tie rod 18, thus allowing it to complete its tightening stroke even in the open state without affecting the position or integrity of surrounding components.

[0047] Although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that this disclosure is not limited to these disclosed embodiments. Rather, this disclosure may be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangements not described to date but commensurate with the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, while various embodiments of this disclosure have been described, it should be understood that aspects of this disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Therefore, this disclosure should not be considered as limited to the foregoing description, but only to the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle latch (10), comprising: A fastening mechanism (40) located inside the vehicle latch (10), the fastening mechanism (40) comprising: A tethering rod (18), operably connected to an actuator (20) via a cable (30), is rotatably mounted to a latch (10) for movement about a pivot (16), and is fixed to a tethering blank rod (48), which is pivotally mounted to a tethering drive link (14) via a first pivot (26). A claw (22), which is pivotally mounted to the latch for moving between an open position and an initial position, wherein the tether drive link (14) is configured to contact the claw blank (41) of the claw (22) to move the claw (22) into the initial position during the tightening operation of the latch (10); A bearing (24) is fixed to the tethered drive link (14) via a second pivot (27), the bearing (24) passing through the channel (9) of the overdrive rod (8) during the interaction between the claw blank (41) and the tethered drive link (14); Overrunning clutch lever (12); A pawl release lever (4), operably connected to the pawl; and An overrunning clutch link (2) pivotally fixed to the overrunning clutch lever (12) and the pawl release lever (4), wherein the overrunning clutch link (2) includes a transverse tab (72) interacting with a door half-open cam (6), the door half-open cam (6) being operatively connected to the pawl (22) of the latch (10) to restrict movement of the overrunning clutch lever (12) when the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the open position.

2. The vehicle latch (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The overrunning clutch link (2) includes a post (70) that interacts with the tie rod (18) and provides restraint on the overrunning clutch lever (12) when the latch (10) is in the open position.

3. The vehicle latch (10) according to claim 1, wherein, When the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage (2) allows the overrunning clutch lever (12) to return to the rest position.

4. The vehicle latch according to claim 2, wherein, When the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the open position, the post (70) contacts the retaining feature (76) of the tie rod (18).

5. The vehicle latch according to claim 1, wherein, When the claw (22) is in the secondary position and the tie rod (18) is rotated by the actuator (20), the overdrive rod (8) contacts the overdrive clutch rod (12).

6. The vehicle latch (10) according to claim 5, wherein, The overdrive clutch link (2) includes a post (70) that interacts with the tie rod (18) when the latch (10) is in the open position.

7. The vehicle latch according to claim 6, wherein, When the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the open position, the post (70) contacts the retaining feature (76) of the tie rod (18).

8. The vehicle latch (10) according to claim 7, wherein, When the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage (2) allows the overrunning clutch lever (12) to return to the rest position.

9. The vehicle latch (10) according to claim 5, wherein, When the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage (2) allows the overrunning clutch lever (12) to return to the rest position.

10. The vehicle latch (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The bearing (24) is rotatably fixed to the second pivot (27).

11. A method for preventing the overrun lever (8) of the vehicle latch (10) from contacting the overrun clutch lever (12) during a tightening operation of the vehicle latch (10) when the vehicle latch (10) is in the open position as claimed in any one of claims 1-10, comprising: The overrunning clutch link (2) is pivotally fixed to the overrunning clutch lever (12) and pawl release lever (4) of the vehicle latch (10), wherein the overrunning clutch link (2) includes a transverse tab (72) that interacts with a door half-open cam (6), the door half-open cam (6) being operatively connected to the pawl (22) of the latch (10) to restrict movement of the overrunning clutch lever (12) when the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the open position.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The overrunning clutch linkage (2) includes a post (70) that interacts with a tie rod (18) which is connected via a cable (30) to an actuator (20) of the vehicle latch (10) and provides restraint to the overrunning clutch lever (12) when the latch (10) is in the open position.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein, When the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the secondary position, the overrunning clutch linkage (2) allows the overrunning clutch lever (12) to return to the rest position.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein, When the pawl (22) of the latch (10) is in the open position, the post (70) contacts the retaining feature (76) of the tie rod (18).

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein, When the claw (22) is in the secondary position and the tie rod (18) is rotated by the actuator (20), the overdrive rod (8) contacts the overdrive clutch rod (12).

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