Automotive latch

Abstract

This disclosure relates to an automotive latch comprising a housing (10), a locking mechanism (1), and an electric drive unit (2) housed within the housing (10), wherein the locking mechanism comprises a catch portion (11) and a claw portion (12), and the electric drive unit (2) comprises a motor (21) and an output component (22), wherein the output component (22) comprises an output gear (221), a cam (222), and a shaft (223), the shaft (223) being rotatably supported within the housing (10), and the motor (21) driving the output gear (221) to rotate the cam (222). The claw portion (12) is directly actuated by the cam (222) to unlock the locking mechanism (1). The automotive latch design of this disclosure significantly reduces the number of components and the space occupied by the components, thereby reducing the overall size and assembly complexity of the latch and improving the operational reliability of the mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automotive latch, and more particularly to a compact automotive rear door latch equipped with an electric drive device.

Background Art

[0002] With the development of the automotive industry, the demand of vehicle owners for intelligent automotive latches has increased, and the use of electric drive latches such as electric rear door latches has become increasingly widespread.

[0003] However, existing automotive latches have too many components, a complex latch structure, and high costs. Furthermore, existing automotive latches occupy a large amount of space, their mechanisms are not sufficiently compact, and the overall size of the automotive latch often does not meet the customer's requirements for the installation space of the vehicle body.

[0004] Furthermore, in an automotive latch using an electric drive device, unlocking is impossible when the electric drive device fails. Although there are automotive latches equipped with an emergency release device in the prior art, many of them have problems such as a complex structure, many components, and complex assembly.

[0005] Summary

[0006] The object of the present disclosure is to solve at least one of the above problems and / or other problems in the prior art.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an automotive latch is provided. The automotive latch includes a housing, a locking mechanism and an electric drive device housed in the housing. The locking mechanism includes a catch portion and a claw portion. The electric drive device includes a motor and an output component. The output component includes an output gear, a cam and a shaft rotatably supported in the housing. The motor drives the output gear to rotate the cam, and the claw portion is directly actuated by the cam to unlock the locking mechanism.

[0008] In this solution, the cam directly actsuates the pawl. This avoids the drawbacks of prior art, such as the complex structure and numerous components resulting from the release lever (and other acting levers associated with the release lever) between the cam and the pawl, as well as the unstable performance caused by the complex transmission mechanism. It reduces the space occupied by components and the number of components, lowers assembly complexity, and improves the operational reliability of the mechanism. In addition, by reducing the space occupied by components, the overall size of the automotive latch can be reduced, allowing for fewer components and a smaller overall size for the automotive rear door latch while achieving all the functions of existing rear door latches.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the claw portion includes a first part and a second part, the first part being partially embedded within the second part to form an integrated claw portion, the first part having a contact portion adapted to engage with the catch portion, and the second part being adapted to engage with the cam.

[0010] In this embodiment, the claw portion is constructed as a single piece by overmolding, and the claw portion can be made of two different materials, satisfying the different engagement performance requirements of each part.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first component is made of metal and the second component is made of resin. The solution in this embodiment ensures the strength of the first component that engages with the catch, reduces the noise generated when the second component engages with the cam, and reduces the weight and cost of the components.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the second component has at least one stepped portion. This stepped portion is provided so that the shape of the claw portion conforms to the span in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft, and reduces the material and weight of the claw portion.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the automotive latch further includes an emergency release lever that is rotatably locked to the housing, with a portion of the emergency release lever extending into the housing and adapted to engage with a claw to actuate the claw. This exemplary solution allows the latch to be manually released in an emergency (e.g., in the event of a motor control failure).

[0014] According to one embodiment, the housing includes a reinforced housing portion with a locking hole formed therein, the emergency release lever has a locking portion formed therein, the locking portion includes a cylindrical body and two lugs on opposite sides, and the locking hole includes a circular hole and two grooves on opposite sides through which the lugs pass.

[0015] This exemplary design allows the emergency release lever to rotatably and quickly lock into the housing, resulting in fewer components, a simpler structure, and easier assembly and operation.

[0016] In one embodiment, one end of the emergency release lever extending into the housing is provided with an engaging portion for engaging with a claw portion to activate the claw portion, and an elastic portion for returning the emergency release lever to its original position. This structure enables the function of the emergency release lever and allows the emergency release lever to be returned with a simple structure.

[0017] In one embodiment, two wall portions are formed inside the housing, and these wall portions are adapted to engage with an engaging portion and an elastic portion, respectively, to hold the emergency release lever.

[0018] In one embodiment, the engaging portion and / or elastic portion are provided with bumps that protrude toward the corresponding wall portion. In the above embodiment, the emergency release lever can be held stably without wobbling by a simple mechanism. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a schematic exploded perspective view of an automotive latch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 shows a schematic front view of the assembled state of the latch for a vehicle shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a schematic left side view of the latch for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a schematic bottom view of the latch for a vehicle shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a schematic perspective view of an example of a claw portion. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A shows a schematic perspective view of an example of an emergency release lever and a reinforcement housing portion at different stages of an assembly process. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B shows a schematic perspective view of an example of an emergency release lever and a reinforcement housing portion at different stages of an assembly process. [Figure 6C] FIG. 6C shows a schematic perspective view of an example of an emergency release lever and a reinforcement housing portion at different stages of an assembly process. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the latch for a vehicle showing an emergency release lever and a part of the housing.

[0020] Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0021] Hereinafter, the technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described more specifically with reference to embodiments and the drawings. The following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings is intended to explain the general concept of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0022] In the following detailed description, for ease of explanation, many specific details are shown for a comprehensive understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it is clear that one or more embodiments can be implemented without these details.

[0023] Hereinafter, a specific exemplary embodiment of an automotive latch will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The automotive latch here is preferably a latch for an automotive rear door, and in this specific embodiment, the latch for an automotive rear door will be described as an example. However, the technical concept of the present disclosure is also applicable to other automotive latches such as a latch for an automotive hood, a latch for a fuel tank cap, and a latch for an automotive side door. Therefore, the technical term "automotive latch" in this specification can be interpreted in a broad sense.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an automotive latch, showing the housing 10 and the components inside the latch. FIGS. 2 to 4 show a schematic front view, a schematic left side view, and a schematic bottom view of the automotive latch as seen from the outside, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, the automotive latch includes a housing 10. The housing 10 includes a plurality of housing parts such as, for example, a first housing part 102, a second housing part 103, and a third housing part 104. An interface component 1041 for providing an electrical connection between the automotive latch and the outside is provided in the third housing part 104. Further, the housing 10 may further include a reinforcing housing part 105 to which an emergency release lever 3 described later is attached. These housing parts are assembled with each other to form the housing 10 of the automotive latch.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, a locking mechanism 1 of the automotive latch is provided in the housing 10 and includes a catch part 11 and a claw part 12. The catch part 11 is rotatably supported on the housing 10 by a first shaft 9 provided on the housing 10. The catch part 11 is rotatable between an unlocked position and a locked position and is returned by the action of a spring 7. A slot 113 for a lock bolt (not shown) to enter is provided in the catch part 11.

[0026] The claw portion 12 is rotatably supported on the housing 1 via a second pivot shaft 5. As shown in Figure 1, a first component 121 is provided at the lower end of the claw portion 12, and a contact portion 1211 formed on the first component 121 contacts / engages with the corresponding contact portion 114 of the catch portion 11, thereby locking the catch portion 11 by preventing it from rotating in the unlocking direction.

[0027] The automotive latch is unlocked by an electric drive unit 2. The electric drive unit in the embodiment shown in Figure 1 includes a motor 21 and an output component 22. The output component 22 includes an output gear 221, a cam 222, and a shaft 223. The shaft 223 is rotatably supported within the housing 10. The motor 21 drives the output gear 221 by a worm 4 provided on the motor shaft, which rotates the cam 222. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the claw portion 12 is directly actuated by the cam 222, which drives the claw portion 12, causing it to swing until the contact portion 1211 disengages from the corresponding contact portion 114, thereby unlocking the catch portion 11. The automotive latch further includes a spring 6 for returning the claw portion 12, as shown in Figure 1.

[0028] In the above structure, the cam 222 directly actsuates the claw portion 12. This avoids the drawbacks of the prior art, such as the complex structure and numerous components resulting from providing a release lever (and other operating levers associated with the release lever) as a component between the cam and the claw portion, as well as the problems of unstable performance due to the complex transmission mechanism, and reduces the space occupied by the components. As in the embodiment, the claw portion 12 includes the aforementioned first component 121 and a second component 122 adapted to engage with the cam 222. The first component 121 is partially embedded in the second component 122 by injection molding to form a single unit. Here, injection molding refers to an existing molding method, and it should be noted that the improvement in this embodiment of the disclosure lies in the structure of the claw portion, not in this molding method. As in the embodiment, the first component 121 may be made of metal, and the second component 122 may be made of resin. This ensures the strength of the first component 121 that engages with the catch portion 11, reduces noise generated when the second component 122 engages with the cam 222, and reduces the weight and cost of the components. It should also be noted that both the metal and resin used here are known materials, and the improvements in this embodiment of the disclosure are not in improvements to these materials, but in the selection of materials to achieve the above performance.

[0029] In the automotive latch as a whole, the claw portion 12 is directly actuated by the cam 222 (omitting the release lever and other operating levers associated with the release lever), thereby reducing the number of components and overall size of the automotive rear door latch as a whole, while achieving all the functions of existing rear door latches. For example, the automotive latch of the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 7 has only 17 components and is smaller in overall size than many similar products.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the output component 22 further includes a stopper 226 integrally formed on the output gear 221. The stopper 226 is configured to support, for example, a first bumper 224 made of rubber. A blocking portion (not shown) is integrally formed on the inner wall of the housing 10. The blocking portion formed on the housing can abut against the first bumper 224 on the output gear 221 to block further rotation of the output gear 221, and the first bumper 224 also acts as a buffer. As shown in Figure 1, the automotive latch further includes a spring 225 for returning the output gear 221 and a second bumper 8 for buffering the catch portion 11 when returning.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the second part 122 of the claw portion 12 is formed to have at least one stepped portion 1221 in a direction parallel to the axis of the shaft 223 (or parallel to the axis of the second pivot shaft 5 of the claw portion), preferably having two stepped portions as shown in Figure 5, so as to fit the span between the portion of the claw portion 12 that engages with the catch portion 11 and the portion that engages with the cam 222 in the axial direction with respect to the pivot shaft of the claw portion 12, thereby reducing the material and weight of the claw portion 12.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1, 3, 6A, 6B, 6C, and 7, the automotive latch further includes an emergency release lever 3, which is rotatably locked in the housing 10 and partially extends into the housing 10 to engage with a claw portion 12 and actuate the claw portion 12. In a specific embodiment, the housing 10 may include a reinforcing housing portion 105 to which the emergency release lever 3 is mounted. This housing portion can reinforce the housing 10. A locking hole 111 is formed in the reinforcing housing portion 105, and a locking portion 31 is formed in the emergency release lever 3. The locking portion 31 includes a cylindrical body 311 and two opposing lugs 312. The locking hole 111 includes a circular hole through which the cylindrical body 311 passes and two opposing grooves 112 through which the lugs 312 pass. As shown in Figure 6A, the emergency release lever 3 is positioned to align with the locking hole 111 of the reinforcing housing portion 105, and the two lugs 312 align with the two grooves 112. As shown in Figure 6B, the locking portion 31 passes through the locking hole 111, and the two lugs 312 pass through the two grooves 112. Next, as shown in Figure 6C, the emergency release lever 3 is rotated, for example, 90 degrees, and the lugs 312 are locked by the reinforcing housing portion 105 to prevent the emergency release lever 3 from detaching from the reinforcing housing portion 105, and the emergency release lever 3 is locked to the reinforcing housing portion 105.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 7, the end of the emergency release lever 3 extending into the housing 10 is provided with an engaging portion 32 for engaging with the claw portion 12 to actuate the claw portion 12, and an elastic portion 33 for returning the emergency release lever 3. Two wall portions 101 are formed within the first housing portion 102 of the housing, and these wall portions are adapted to engage with the engaging portion 32 and the elastic portion 33, respectively, to hold the emergency release lever 3. The engaging portion 32 and / or the elastic portion 33 are provided with bumps 34 that project toward the corresponding wall portion 101. As shown in Figure 7, when the combination of the emergency release lever 3 and the reinforced housing portion 105 shown in Figure 6C is mounted in the first housing portion 102, the bumps 34 on both sides shown in Figure 7 abut against the two wall portions 101, respectively, and the emergency release lever 3 is positioned within the first housing portion 102. When the emergency release lever 3 is shifted by the user, its engaging portion 32 actsuate the claw portion 12 to achieve manual lock release in an emergency. Next, the emergency release lever 3 is automatically returned to its original position by the action of the elastic part 33.

[0034] While several embodiments of this disclosure are provided and described, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general concepts of this disclosure, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A latch for automobiles, Housing (10) and A locking mechanism (1) is housed within the housing (10) and includes a catch portion (11) and a claw portion (12), The electric drive unit (2), housed within the housing (10), comprises a motor (21) and an output component (22), the output component (22) comprising an output gear (221), a cam (222), and a shaft (223) rotatably supported within the housing (10), the motor (21) drives the output gear (221) to rotate the cam (222), Furthermore, the claw portion (12) is directly actuated by the cam (222) to unlock the locking mechanism (1), an automotive latch.

2. The ratchet for an automobile according to claim 1, characterized in that the claw portion (12) comprises a first component (121) and a second component (122), a part of the first component (121) is embedded in the second component (122) to form an integrated claw portion (12), the first component (121) has a contact portion (1211) adapted to engage with the catch portion (11), and the second component (122) is adapted to engage with the cam (222).

3. The automotive latch according to claim 2, characterized in that the first part (121) is made of metal and the second part (122) is made of resin.

4. The automotive latch according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the second component (122) has at least one stepped portion (1221) formed thereon.

5. The automotive latch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an emergency release lever (3) that is rotatably locked to the housing (10), wherein a portion of the emergency release lever (3) extends into the housing (10) and is adapted to engage with the claw portion (12) to actuate the claw portion (12).

6. The automotive latch according to claim 5, characterized in that the housing (10) comprises a reinforcing housing portion (105) having a lock hole (111), the emergency release lever (3) has a lock portion (31), the lock portion (31) comprises a cylindrical body (311) and two opposing lugs (312), and the lock hole (111) comprises a circular hole and two opposing grooves (112) through which the lugs (312) pass.

7. The automotive latch according to claim 5, characterized in that one end of the emergency release lever (3) extending into the housing (10) is provided with an engaging portion (32) for engaging with the claw portion (12) and for operating the claw portion (12), and an elastic portion (33) for returning the emergency release lever (3).

8. The automotive latch according to claim 7, characterized in that two wall portions (101) are formed inside the housing (10), and the wall portions (101) are adapted to engage with the engaging portion (32) and the elastic portion (33), respectively, to hold the emergency release lever (3).

9. The automotive latch according to claim 8, characterized in that the engaging portion (32) and / or the elastic portion (33) are provided with bumps (34) that protrude toward the corresponding wall portion (101).

10. The automotive latch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 6 to 9, characterized in that the automotive latch is a latch for the rear door of an automobile.

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