SINGLE-MOTOR RELEASE LOCK WITH DOUBLE LOCKING / CHILD LOCK

Abstract

A power-operated locking assembly and system thereof, designed to hold a motor vehicle locking plate in a closed position relative to a vehicle body and to release the locking plate so that it may move from the closed position to an open position. The electric locking assembly has a double-locking / child safety state in which actuation of an inner release mechanism prevents the locking plate from moving to the open position, and actuation of an outer release mechanism enables the locking plate to be released for movement to the open position.

Description

REGIONThe present disclosure relates generally to electrical door systems for motor vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a power operated door system equipped with a power operated latch assembly that can be operated for power holding, power release, power double latch, and power child lock.BACKGROUNDIn view of the increased demand of consumers for motor vehicles equipped with advanced comfort and convenience features, many current vehicles are now equipped with electrically actuated latch assemblies that can be operated via passive keyless entry systems to enable electrical latching and electrical unlatching of the latch assemblies without the use of conventional manual entry mechanisms. While such electrically actuated latch assemblies provide the desired functionality under normal operating conditions, further advancements are desired to ensure that the features of the electrically actuated latch assemblies repeatedly and reliably achieve their intended position and functionality in a quick, efficient manner while minimizing the size, cost, and number of components of the electrically actuated latch assembly while still providing a manual override function via an external release mechanism in a latched state.In view of the above, there remains a desire to develop alternative electric door locks that overcome the limitations of known electric door locks to provide improved electrical and manual override functionality while minimizing the size, cost, and complexity associated with such advancements.SUMMARYOne aspect of the present disclosure is the ready position of a power latch assembly for selectively releasing a vehicle closure from a latched condition by manually actuating an external release mechanism for the desired movement of the closure from a closed position to an open or extended position relative to a vehicle body, if desired.In accordance with these and other aspects, a power latch assembly for a motor vehicle is provided having a vehicle body defining a closure aperture and a vehicle closure panel pivotally connected to the vehicle body for movement between open and closed positions relative to the closure aperture. The power operated latch assembly of the present disclosure includes a power operated unlock actuator arranged to move a power operated release gear from a home position to a release position to move a pawl from a ratchet holding position to a ratchet releasing position and to cause a ratchet to move from a striker capture position, in which the ratchet is in locked engagement with a striker to hold the closure plate in the closed position, to a striker release position out of locked engagement with the striker to allow the closure plate to be moved from the closed position to the open position. The power release actuator is arranged to move the power release gear from the home position to a locking position. An outer door release mechanism is arranged to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the force release gear is in the home position, and the outer door release mechanism is operable to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the force release gear is in the locking position.In another aspect, the outer door release mechanism includes an outer door handle operatively coupled to an outer release lever to move the outer release lever between a deactivated position and an activated position, the outer release lever being pivotally coupled to a blocking member, the blocking member movable between an unlocked position in which the force release gear is in the initial position and a locked position in which the force release gear is in the locking position.In accordance with another aspect, the power release gear includes a locking cam arranged to move the blocking member from the unlocked position to the locked position when moving from the initial position to the locking position.In another aspect, a rocker spring is arranged to engage the locking cam to releasably retain the power release gear in the locking position.In another aspect, a first movement of the outer release lever from the deactivated position to the activated position while the force release gear is in the locking position causes the locking cam to overcome a bias applied by the rocker spring, whereupon the force release gear moves from the locking position to the initial position, whereupon the locking member is moved to the unlocked position.In another aspect, a second movement of the outer release lever from the deactivated position to the activated position causes the pawl (34) to move from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position.In another aspect, an inner door release mechanism is arranged to move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the home position, wherein the inner door release mechanism is unable to move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the locking position.In another aspect, the inner door release mechanism includes an inner door handle operatively coupled to an inner release lever to move the inner release lever between a deactivated position and an activated position, the inner release lever having an arm arranged to drive the blocking member while the blocking member is in the unlocked position, the blocking member driving the outer release lever that drives a ratchet lever and causes the ratchet to move from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position.In another aspect, the arm of the inner release lever is unable to drive the locking member when the locking member is in the locked position.In another aspect, the inner release lever and the outer release lever are pivotally disposed about a first axis, wherein the blocking member is pivotable relative to the outer release lever about a second axis spaced from the first axis.Another aspect is that the outside door release mechanism is not connected to an outside door handle.According to another aspect, the outer door opener is connected to a locking cylinder.According to another aspect, a method is provided for mechanically moving a power latch assembly for a motor vehicle from a locked state to an unlocked state to allow a closure panel to be moved from a closed position to an open position. The method includes a step of arranging a power release actuator to move a power release gear from a home position to a release position to move a pawl from a ratchet holding position in which a ratchet is in locked engagement with a striker in a striker capture position to hold the closure plate in a closed position to a ratchet release position in which the ratchet moves from the striker capture position to a striker release position from locked engagement with the striker to allow the closure plate to be moved from the closed position to the open position. Another step includes arranging the power release actuator to move the power release gear from the initial position to a locking position and a step of arranging an outer door release mechanism to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the initial position. Further, a step of arranging the outer door release mechanism to mechanically move the pawl from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear is in the locking position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of operatively coupling an outer door handle to an outer unlock lever to move the outer unlock lever between a deactivated position and an activated position in response to actuation of the outer door handle, and a step of coupling the outer unlock lever to a locking member to move the locking member between an unlocked position when the power release gear is in the initial position and a locked position when the power release gear is in the locking position.According to another aspect, the method may comprise a step of providing the power release gear with a locking cam arranged to move the locking member from the unlocked position to the locked position when moving from the initial position to the locking position.In another aspect, the method may include the step of providing a rocker spring arranged to engage the locking cam to releasably retain the power release gear in the locking position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of causing the locking cam to overcome a bias applied by the rocker spring while the power release gear is in the locking position during a first movement of the outer release lever from the deactivated position to the activated position, and causing the power release gear to move from the locking position to the initial position, and causing the locking member to move to the unlocked position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of causing the pawl to move from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position during a second movement of the outer release lever from the deactivated position to the activated position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of connecting the outer door release mechanism to a mechanism other than an outer door handle.According to another aspect, the method may comprise a step of connecting the outer door release mechanism to a lock cylinder.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThese and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1A shows an example of a motor vehicle equipped with an electric door actuation system located between a passenger swing door and a vehicle body and configured to include an electric latch assembly according to an aspect of the disclosure, FIG. 1B is a partial perspective view showing the electrical latch assembly installed in the passenger swing door of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1A , FIGS. 2A-2D show front views of a power latch assembly according to the disclosure, illustrating the power latch assembly as being gradually disassembled to illustrate the various components, FIGS. 3A through 3C show rear views of a power latch assembly according to the disclosure, the power latch assembly shown in stepwise disassembled form for illustrating the various components, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a power release gear of the power latch assembly of FIGS. 2A-3C, FIG. 4A is a fragmentary top view of the power latch assembly of FIG. 4 showing the power release gear in a pre-trip position, FIG. 4B is a view similar to FIG. 4A, illustrating the power release gear in a full stroke lock position, FIG. 5A is a view similar to FIG. 4A, illustrating the power release gear in the home position, FIG. 5B is a view similar to FIG. 5A, with the power release gear moved to the position prior to initiation of the stroke, FIG. 5C is a view similar to FIG. 5B, wherein the power release gear continues its movement to a full stroke release position, moving a pawl lever to the full stroke release position, causing a pawl to move to a ratchet release position, causing a ratchet to move from a striker capture position to a striker release position, FIG. 6A is a view similar to FIG. 5A , FIG. 6B shows how the power release gear is placed in the advance lock position, FIG. 6C is a view similar to FIG. 6B in which the power release gear continues to move to a dual lock / child lock position, preventing the pawl lever from moving to a release position, preventing the pawl from moving to a ratchet release position in response to actuation of an internal release mechanism, preventing the ratchet from moving from the striker capture position to the striker release position, FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of the power operated latch assembly with the power operated power release gear in the home position and the latch lever moved to the release position in response to manual actuation of an external release mechanism, FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the power operated latch assembly with the power operated release gear in the home position, wherein the latch lever is moved to the release position in response to manual actuation of the internal release mechanism, FIG. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the power operated latch assembly showing the power operated power release gear in the dual lock / child lock position and preventing the latch lever from moving to the release position in response to manual actuation of the internal release mechanism, FIG. 10A shows a partial view of the latch assembly with the power release gear in the dual latch / child lock position, FIG. 10B shows a first actuation of the external release mechanism with the power release gear in the dual lock / child lock position, whereupon the power release gear is moved from the dual lock / child lock position to the home position, and FIG. 10C shows the latch link moved to the unlocked position in response to the first actuation of the outer release mechanism of FIG. 10B, wherein a second actuation of the outer release mechanism causes the latch lever to move to the release position.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTSIn general, example embodiments of an electric door actuation system having an electric latch assembly constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure are now disclosed.First, an example motor vehicle 10 is shown in FIG. 1A including a first closure panel, shown by way of example and without limitation as a passenger swing door, hereafter simply referred to as a passenger door, swing door, or door 12, pivotally attached to a vehicle body 14 via an upper door hinge 16 and a lower door hinge 18 shown in dashed lines. In accordance with the present disclosure, power operated door actuation system 20 is associated with swing door 12, and in accordance with a preferred configuration, power operated door actuation system 20 includes a power operated latch assembly 13, an electrical control unit (ECU) for vehicle door 52, and may also be formed with a power operated swing door actuator 22 mounted within an interior cavity of passenger door 12 for coordinated control of opening and closing of door 12, if desired. The motor vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 1A may be equipped with mechanically actuatable external unlocking mechanisms, such as external vehicle door handles 61, and internal unlocking mechanisms, such as internal door handles 61 a, on the vehicle door 12.The upper door hinge 16 and the lower door hinge 18 each include a door mount hinge component and a body mount hinge component pivotally connected together by a hinge pin or post. While the electric door actuation system 20 is shown in FIG. 1A only in connection with the front passenger door 12, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the electric door actuation system 20 and the electric latch assembly 13 may also be connected to any other door, such as the rear passenger doors 17 as shown in FIG. 1B, or to other closure panels, such as a rear panel (not shown), a hood 9, or a rear panel 19. Although the door 12 is shown herein as being pivotally mounted to the vehicle body 14 for rotation relative to a vertical or generally vertical axis extending through the upper and lower hinges 16, 18, it may also be configured to rotate about a horizontal axis, as would be the case with a rear deck, or other offset (oblique) axis, or the like. For clarity, the vehicle body 14 is intended to include the "non-movable" structural elements of the vehicle 10, such as the vehicle frame, the supporting pillars and parts, and the body panels.Referring now to FIG. 1B, there is shown an unlimited embodiment of a power latch assembly 13 for the vehicle doors 12, 17 of the vehicle 10. The power latch assembly 13 may be positioned on the vehicle door(s) 12, 17 and disposed in an appropriate orientation to engage and retain a striker 37 mounted on the vehicle body 14 when the door 12, 17 is closed.The locking arrangement 13 is designed for electrical unlocking. The latch assembly 13 includes a power release actuator, also referred to as a power actuator 29 (FIG. 2B ), such as an electric motor, for controlling power actuation of a latch release mechanism 24. the power operated latch assembly 13 includes a ratchet 32 movable between two stop positions about a ratchet axis (hereinafter referred to as an axis) defined by a ratchet rivet (also referred to as a ratchet pin 33). The ratchet 32 pivots about the axis between a primary or fully closed position (shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B ), also referred to as a primary striker capture position or primary latch position, and a secondary or partially closed position (not shown), also referred to as a secondary striker capture position or secondary latch position, wherein the ratchet 32 maintains the striker 37 in both positions against full release. Ratchet 32 is also movable to a striker release position (not shown) in which ratchet 32 enables release of striker 37 from a fish mouth 78 (FIGS. 1B and 3A ) provided by a latch housing, also referred to as frame plate 80, of latch assembly 13. A ratchet biasing member (not shown), such as a spring, is provided to normally bias the ratchet 32 toward the striker release position, which corresponds to a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGS. 3A and 3B. A pawl 34 (FIG. 3B ) is movable about a pawl axis defined by a pawl rivet, also referred to as pawl pin 35 (FIGS. 3B and 3C ). The pawl 34 pivots about the pawl axis between at least a ratchet holding position (FIG. 3B ) in which the pawl 34 holds the ratchet 32 in its / its closed stop position(s), in which the swing door 12 is held in a closed state, also referred to as a closed position, thereby preventing it from being fully opened, and a ratchet releasing position in which the pawl 34 allows the ratchet 32 to move to its open striker releasing position, in which the swing door 12 can be moved to a fully open state, also referred to as an open position. A pawl biasing member 40, such as a suitable spring, is provided to normally bias the pawl 34 toward its ratchet holding position.The electrical enable actuator 29 may be used as part of a conventional passive keyless entry function. As a person approaches the vehicle 10 with an electronic key fob 60 (shown schematically in FIG. 1A ) and, e.g., actuates the exterior door handle 61, both the presence of the key fob 60 and the actuation of the exterior door handle 61 are detected (e.g., via communication between a switch (not shown) and a lock electronic control unit (ECU) shown at 67 (FIG. 1A ) and at least partially controls operation of the electrical latch assembly 13. The latch ECU 67, in turn, signals and actuates the power release actuator 29 to cause the latch release mechanism 24 to pivot the pawl 34 to its ratchet release position to release the ratchet 32 to move to its striker release position under the bias of the ratchet biasing member and to place the power latch assembly 13 in an unlocked operating state to allow the swing door 12 to be subsequently opened. The enable force actuator 29 may alternatively be activated as part of a proximity sensor-based access feature (e.g., radar-based proximity detection) when a person approaches the vehicle 10 with an electronic key fob 60 and actuates a proximity sensor 58, such as a capacitive sensor or other touch / touch sensor (based on detection of proximity of an object, such as touch / swipe / gesture of a hand or finger or the like) (e.g., via communication between the proximity sensor 58 and the radar), for example. B. Via communication between proximity sensor 58 (FIG. 1A ) and latch ECU 67 (FIG. 1A ) that at least partially controls operation of latch assembly 13). In turn, the latch ECU 67 signals the power release actuator 29 to move and cause the latch release mechanism 24 to place the power latch assembly 13 in an unlocked operating state to allow subsequent opening of the vehicle door 12. Additionally, the power release actuator 29 may be used in coordinated operation with the power operated swing door actuator 22. Additionally, the door outer handle 61 may be configured for mechanical actuation of the power latch assembly 13 to enable opening of the swing door 12, as understood by one of ordinary skill in the latch art, for example, and without limitation, upon a power interruption and / or upon the occurrence of an impact, as discussed further below.The door 12 may include a conventional open lever or door inside handle 61a located on a side of the door 12 facing the inside of the passenger compartment C for opening the door 12 (e.g., including unlocking and opening the electrical latch assembly 13, and controlling the operation of the power swing door actuator 22). This inside open lever or door handle 61 amay trigger a switch 63 athat is operatively connected to the latch ECU 67 such that upon actuation of the switch 63 a, the latch ECU 67 signals and facilitates activation of the electrical latch assembly 13. Subsequently, the lock ECU 67 may cause the power swing door actuator 22 to be activated (i.e., the extension member 26 is extended or deployed) to continue automatic opening of the swing door 12. Alternatively, power swing door actuator 22 may be turned on at a time before the final presentation position is reached to allow a seamless transition between the two stages of door opening (i.e., both motors overlap in operation for a short period of time). Alternatively, the lock ECU 67 may provide that the power operated swing door actuator 22 is operated as a door check (i.e., the extension member 26 is extended or deployed and held in such extended or deployed state) until the user manually takes control of the swing door 12 to further open it to a fully open position. Moreover, the inner door handle 61 amay be configured to mechanically actuate the electrical latch assembly 13 via one or more mechanical mechanisms to enable opening of the swing door 12 as a person having the usual knowledge in the latch art will know, e.g., upon a power break and / or upon an impact, as discussed further below.Returning to FIG. 1A, the door actuation electrical system 20 and the electrical latch assembly 13 are electrically connected to a main power source 400 of the motor vehicle 10, e.g., a main battery that provides a battery voltage V batt of 12 V, via an electrical connector 402, e.g., a power cord (the main power source 400 may also include another source of electrical energy within the motor vehicle 10, e.g., an alternator). The electronic lock ECU 67 and / or the swing door ECU 52 are also coupled to the main power source 400 of the motor vehicle 10 to receive the battery voltage V batt the electronic lock ECU 67 and / or the swing door ECU 52 are thus able to check whether the value of the battery voltage V batt falls below a predetermined threshold to immediately determine whether an emergency state (if a backup power source may be required) occurs.As shown in the schematic block diagram of FIG. 1A, a backup power source 404, which may be integrated as part of or separate from an electronic control circuit of the electronic lock ECU 67 and / or swing door ECU 52, is configured to provide electrical power to the door actuation electrical system 20 and / or the electrical lock assembly 13 and the same electronic control circuit of the electronic lock ECU 67 and / or swing door ECU 52 if the main power supply from the main power source 400 of the motor vehicle 10 fails or is interrupted.In one illustrative example, the backup power source 404 includes a group of low voltage supercapacitors (not shown) as a power supply unit (or power tank) to power the door actuation electrical system 20 and / or the latch electrical assembly 13 even in the event of power failures. Supercapacitors may include electrolytic double layer capacitors, pseudocapacitors, or a combination thereof. Other electronic components and connections of the backup power source 404, such as a boost module for increasing voltage from the backup power source 404 to an actuator, such as the power operated swing door actuator, are disclosed in patent application US 2015 / 0330116, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.The swing door ECU 52 may also receive an additional input signal from a proximity sensor 64 (e.g., ultrasonic or radar) attached to a portion of the swing door 12, e.g., a door mirror M or the like, as shown in FIG. 1A. The proximity sensor 64 checks whether an obstacle such as another car, tree, post, or the like is present near or in close proximity to the vehicle door 12. When such an obstacle is present, the proximity sensor 64 sends a signal to the ECU of the swing door 52, and the ECU of the swing door 52 turns off the electric motor 24 to stop the movement of the swing door 12 and thus prevent the vehicle door 12 from hitting the obstacle.The power release actuator 29 is arranged to move a power release gear 38 from a home position (FIG. 5A ) to a release position (FIG. 5C ). When the power release gear 38 is driven toward the release position, a first cam, also referred to as an unlock cam 30, engages and drives a pawl lever 34 a, whereupon the pawl lever 34 a, via operable coupling with the pawl 34, for example via a pawl drive pin 34 b, drives the pawl 34 from a ratchet holding position to a ratchet releasing position, thereby causing the ratchet 32 to move from a position in which it captures the striker, the ratchet 32 being locked to the striker 37 to hold the closure plate 12 in a closed position to a position in which the striker 37 is no longer locked, whereby the closure plate 12 can be moved from the closed position to the open position. The power release actuator 29 is further arranged to move the power release gear 38 from the home position (FIG. 6A ) to a locking position (FIG. 6C ). As shown in FIG. 8, an inside door unlock mechanism such as the inside door handle 61 ais arranged to move the pawl 34 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position via an inside unlock cable 65 acoupled to an inside unlock lever 65 bwhile the power release gear 38 is at the initial position. The inner release lever 65 is configured for pivotal movement about a first axis A 1 in response to actuation of the inner trip cable 65 a. During the pivoting movement of the inner release lever 65b about the first axis A1, an arm 65c of the inner release lever 65b drives a double lock / child lock member, also referred to as a locking member 68, about a second axis A2 spaced from the first axis A1, which in turn drives an outer release lever 66b for pivoting movement about the first axis A1, whereupon an arm 66c of the outer release lever 66b drives a protrusion 34c of the pawl lever 34a, whereby the pawl lever 34a drives the pawl 34 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position. As shown in FIG. 9, the internal door release mechanism 61 ais unable to move the pawl 34 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position as long as the power release gear 38 is in the locking position. During movement of the power release gear 38 to the locking position, the arm 65c of the inner release lever 65b is moved out of driving engagement with the locking member 68, thereby being unable to drive the locking member 68, and thus unable to cause driven movement of the outer release lever 66b, which in turn prevents the arm 66c from driving the protrusion 34c or the latch lever 34a.As shown in FIG. 7, an outer door release mechanism 61 is arranged to mechanically move the pawl 34 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear 38 is at the home position by directly moving the outer release lever 66b through an outer release cable 66a, and the arm 66c of the outer release lever 66b drives the protrusion 34c as described above for the inner release lever 65b. As shown in FIGS. 10A-10C, the outer door release mechanism 61 may also mechanically move the pawl 34 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear 38 is in the locking position.The outer door release mechanism includes the outer door handle 61 coupled to the outer release lever 66 bvia an outer release cable 66 ato move the outer release lever 66 bbetween a deactivated position and an activated position. The outer release lever 66 bis pivotally coupled to the locking member 68 to allow relative pivotal movement of the locking member 68 about the second axis A 2. The locking member 68 is movable between an unlocked position (FIGS. 5A-5C, 6A ) in which the force release gear 38 is in the initial position and a locked position (FIG. 6C ) in which the force release gear 38 is in the locking position.The power release gear 38 has a second cam, also referred to as a locking cam 70, arranged to engage the blocking member 68 and move it from the unlocked position to the locked position as the power release gear 38 moves from the initial position to the locking position. The locking cam 70 extends from the same side of the power release gear 38 as the unlocking cam 30, and is spaced circumferentially therefrom. The lock cam 70 is disposed radially outward of the unlock cam 30 with respect to the rotation axis of the power release gear 38. A rocker spring 72 is disposed for biased engagement with the locking cam 70 to releasably retain the force release gear 38 in the locking position (FIGS. 6C and 9 ). A first movement of the outer release lever 66 bfrom the deactivated position to the activated position by selective actuation of an outer actuation element, such as the outer door handle 61 (it is contemplated that movement of the outer release lever 66 bmay be caused by something other than actuation of the outer door handle 61 (it is conceivable that movement of the outer release lever 66 bis caused by means other than actuation of the outer door handle 61, e.g., by an outer lock cylinder 61 bor otherwise) while the force release gear 38 is in the locking position, causes the locking cam 70 to overcome a bias exerted by the rocker spring 72, whereupon the force release gear 38 moves from the locking position to the initial position, Thereupon, the lock member 68 is moved to the unlocked position as in Figs. 10A-10C. A second movement of the outer release lever 66 bfrom the deactivated position to the activated position via selective actuation of the outer door handle 61 causes the pawl lever 34 ato drive the pawl 34 to move from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position, thereby allowing the ratchet 32 to move to the striker releasing position under the bias of the ratchet biasing member, as described above for FIG. 7. Accordingly, although the door 12 is in a double lock / child lock state, it is possible to open the door 12 by mechanically operating the outer operating member 61 to move the lock member 68 to the unlocked position regardless of whether or not power is supplied to the power locking assembly 13. Accordingly, the activation of the outer operating member 61 as described above serves to bypass a locked state to allow the door 12 to be opened intentionally.According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method is provided for mechanically moving a power latch assembly (13) for a motor vehicle (10) from a locked state to an unlocked state to allow a closure panel to be moved from a closed position to an open position. The method includes a step of arranging a power release actuator 29 to move a power release gear 38 from a home position to a release position, to move a pawl 34 from a ratchet holding position, in which a ratchet 32 is in locked engagement with a striker 37 in a striker capture position, to hold the closure plate 12 in a closed position, to a ratchet release position, in which the ratchet 32 moves from the striker capture position to a striker release position out of locked engagement with the striker 37, to allow the closure plate 12 to be moved from the closed position to the open position. Further, a step of arranging the power release actuator 29 to move the power release gear 38 from the initial position to a locking position. Further, a step of arranging an outer door release mechanism 61 to mechanically move the pawl 34 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear 38 is at the initial position. Further, a step of arranging the outer door release mechanism 61 to mechanically move the pawl 34 from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear 38 is in the locking position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of operatively coupling an outer door handle 61 to an outer unlock lever 66 bto move the outer unlock lever 66 bbetween a deactivated position and an activated position in response to actuation of the outer door handle, and coupling the outer unlock lever 66 bto a locking member 68 to move the locking member 68 between an unlocked position when the power release gear 38 is in the initial position and a locked position when the power release gear 38 is in the locking position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of providing the power release gear 38 with a locking cam 70 arranged to move the locking member 68 from the unlocked position to the locked position when moving from the initial position to the locking position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of providing a rocker spring 72 arranged to engage the locking cam 70 to releasably retain the power release gear 38 in the locking position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of causing the locking cam 70 to overcome a bias applied by the rocker spring 72 while the force release gear 38 is in the locking position during a first movement of the outer release lever 66 bfrom the deactivated position to the activated position, and causing the force release gear 38 to move from the locking position to the initial position, and causing the locking member 68 to move to the unlocked position.In another aspect, the method may include a step of causing the pawl 34 to move from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position during a second movement of the outer release lever 66 bfrom the deactivated position to the activated position.In accordance with another aspect, the method may include a step of connecting the outer door release mechanism 61 to a mechanism other than an outer door handle.In another aspect, the method may include a step of connecting the outer door opening mechanism 61 to a lock cylinder 61 b.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedUS 2015 / 0330116

[0035]

Claims

A power latch assembly (13) for a motor vehicle (10) comprising: a power release actuator (29) arranged to move a power release gear (38) from a home position to a release position to move a pawl (34) from a ratchet holding position to a ratchet releasing position and to cause a ratchet (32) to move from a striker capture position, the ratchet (32) being in locked engagement with a striker (37) to hold a closure plate (12) in a closed position to move to a striker release position outside of locked engagement with the striker (37) to allow the closure plate (12) to be moved from the closed position to the open position, wherein the power release actuator (29) is further arranged to move the power release gear (38) from the home position to a ratchet position, and an outer door release mechanism (61) arranged to mechanically move the pawl (34) from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear (38) is in the home position, wherein the outer door release mechanism (61) is operable to mechanically move the pawl (34) from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear (38) is in the locking position.The power latch assembly (13) of claim 1, wherein the outer door release mechanism (61) includes an outer door handle (61) operatively coupled to an outer release lever (66b) to move the outer release lever (66b) between a deactivated position and an activated position, the outer release lever (66b) is pivotally coupled to a blocking member (68), the blocking member (68) being movable between an unlocked position, in which the power release gear (38) is in the initial position, and a locked position, in which the power release gear (38) is in the locking position.The power latch assembly (13) of claim 2, wherein the power release gear (38) includes a latch cam (70) arranged to move the blocking member (68) from the unlocked position to the locked position upon movement from the initial position to the locking position.The power latch assembly (13) of claim 3, further including a rocker spring (72) arranged to engage the latch cam (70) to releasably retain the power release gear (38) in the latch position.The power latch assembly (13) of claim 4, wherein a first movement of the outer release lever (66b) from the deactivated position to the activated position while the power release gear (38) is in the locking position causes the latch cam (70) to overcome a bias applied by the rocker spring (72), whereupon the power release gear (38) moves from the locking position to the home position, whereupon the latch link (68) is moved to the unlocked position.The power latch assembly (13) of claim 5, wherein a second movement of the outer release lever (66b) from the deactivated position to the activated position causes the pawl (34) to move from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position.The power latch assembly (13) of any of claims 2 to 6, further comprising an inner door release mechanism (61a) arranged to move the pawl (34) from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear (38) is in the home position, wherein the inner door release mechanism (61a) cannot be actuated to move the pawl (34) from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position while the power release gear (38) is in the locking position.The power latch assembly (13) of claim 7, wherein the inner door release mechanism (61a) comprises an inner door handle (61a) operatively coupled to an inner release lever (65b) for moving the inner release lever (65b) between a deactivated position and an activated position, the inner release lever (65b) having an arm (65c) arranged to drive the locking member (68) while the locking member (68) is in the unlocked position, the locking member (68) driving the outer release lever (66b) that drives a pawl lever (34a) and causes the pawl (34) to move from the ratchet holding position to the ratchet releasing position.The power latch assembly (13) of claim 8, wherein the arm (65c) of the inner release lever (65b) is non-operable to drive the locking member (68) while the locking member (68) is in the locked position.A power latch assembly (13) as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the inner release lever (65b) and the outer release lever (66b) are pivotally disposed about a first axis (A1), and the locking member (68) is pivotable relative to the outer release lever (66b) about a second axis (A2) spaced from the first axis (A1).

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