The present invention relates to a vehicle door lock and an associated method for the operation thereof, wherein the vehicle door lock is equipped with a locking mechanism, which essentially consists of a catch and a pawl. The pawl has a contact surface for the catch, which rests on said contact surface when the locking mechanism is closed. According to the invention, a supporting element, which delays the opening of the locking mechanism, is associated with the pawl, so that the catch glides along the contact surface up to a predetermined opening angle until is it is released from the pawl.

A latch assembly includes a chassis, a latch bolt moveably mounted on the chassis and having a closed position for retaining a striker and an open position for releasing the striker, a pawl having an engaged position at which the pawl is engaged with the latch bolt to hold the latch bolt in the closed position and a disengaged position at which the pawl is disengaged from the latch bolt, thereby allowing the latch bolt to move to the open position, an eccentric arrangement defining an eccentric axis and a pawl axis remote from the eccentric axis. The eccentric arrangement is rotatable about the eccentric axis, and the pawl is rotatable about the pawl axis. When the pawl moves from the engaged position to the disengaged position, the eccentric arrangement rotates in one of a clockwise and a counter-clockwise direction about the eccentric axis. With the pawl in the engaged position, a force applied to the pawl by the latch bolt creates a turning moment on the eccentric arrangement in the one of the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction, and the eccentric arrangement is prevented from rotating in said one of the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction by a moveable abutment.

A dual unlocking hood latch system allows a user to open a hood of the automobile vehicle while staying in the vehicle. The dual unlocking hood latch system includes a base fixed to a main body. The base includes a moving groove portion to guide the movement of a striker. A latch gear, which includes a plurality of locking portions, is pivotably attached to a front side of the base to retain the striker when the striker is entered through the moving groove portion to a locking position. A pawl, pivotably attached to the base, controls the movement of the latch gear by transmitting rotational motion when in contact. And a stopper portion, pivotably attached to the base, is elastically biased to move toward the pawl such that the stopper portion is pushed by the pawl to restrain pivoting movement of the latch gear.

A latch assembly includes a chassis, a latch bolt moveably mounted on the chassis and having a closed position for retaining a striker and an open position for releasing the striker, a pawl having an engaged position at which the pawl is engaged with the latch bolt to hold the latch bolt in the closed position and a disengaged position at which the pawl is disengaged from the latch bolt, thereby allowing the latch bolt to move to the open position, an eccentric arrangement defining an eccentric axis and a pawl axis remote from the eccentric axis. The eccentric arrangement is rotatable about the eccentric axis, and the pawl is rotatable about the pawl axis. When the pawl moves from the engaged position to the disengaged position, the eccentric arrangement rotates in one of a clockwise and a counter-clockwise direction about the eccentric axis. With the pawl in the engaged position, a force applied to the pawl by the latch bolt creates a turning moment on the eccentric arrangement in the one of the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction, and the eccentric arrangement is prevented from rotating in said one of the clockwise and counter-clockwise direction by a moveable abutment.

The object of the invention is a seal (10) for an inlet opening (120) of a latch (100), in particular a motor vehicle latch, having at least a partially flexible sealing element (11) with at least an insertion slot (12), whereby a first seal wing (11.1) and a second seal wing (11.2) are formed on the sealing element (11), whereby a striker can at least be partially arranged in the inlet slot (11).

A vehicle latch is provided having a ratchet, a primary pawl, an auxiliary ratchet and a secondary pawl, and further including a gear that is movable to a secondary pawl locking position wherein the gear directly blocks movement of the secondary pawl and locks the secondary pawl in an auxiliary ratchet holding position to prevent premature or unintended opening of the latch.

The object of the invention is a motor vehicle latch demonstrating a locking mechanism comprising a catch and at least a pawl, a latch plate (1), whereby the locking mechanism can be accommodated in the latch plate (1) and the latch plate (1) demonstrates an inlet area (12), whereby a latch holder (13) can be inserted to interact with the locking mechanism in the inlet area (12) and with at least a deformation (11) formed in a peripheral area of the inlet area (12) in the latch plate (1), whereby the deformation (11) is arranged at least in places directly on an edge of the inlet area (12).

In an aspect, a latch for a closure panel for a vehicle is provided, and includes a ratchet, pawl, release lever, and extension member. The ratchet is movable between a primary closed position, secondary closed position and open position. The pawl is movable between a primary locking position, secondary locking position and unlocking position. The release lever is movable between home and actuated positions. When the pawl is in the primary locking position the release lever has a selected amount of reach for driving the pawl to the secondary locking position during movement of the release lever to the actuated position. When the pawl is in the secondary locking position the extension member is movable to extend the reach of the release lever to drive the pawl from the secondary locking position to the unlocked position during movement of the release lever from the home position to the actuated position.

A trunk lid latch assembly for a vehicle may include a main gear rotated by a drive motor provided at the base, wherein an error lever, a pawl lever, a plurality of links, and a cinching member are rotated in conjunction with rotation of the main gear, and thus a striker is locked or unlocked from the claw.

A preload mechanism for a memory alloy wire actuator is disclosed that includes a rotating element configured to rotate about a pivot. The rotating element has a first contact point that is configured to couple to the memory alloy wire actuator such that contraction of the memory alloy wire actuator displaces the first contact point such that the rotating element rotates from a first position to a second position. The preload mechanism also includes a bias element with a first end that is coupled to a second contact point of the rotating element and a second end configured to be pinned relative to the pivot. The bias element has a line of action extending from the second end through the first end. The line of action has an offset distance that is the minimum distance between the line of action and the pivot. The offset distance has a first value when the rotating element is in the first position and a second value when the rotating element is the second position, the second value being smaller than the first value.