A latch for releasably connecting two elements is operable between engaged and released positions. An elongate handle opens and closes a latch mechanism about a first axis of rotation at the rear end of the handle. The latch handle is held closed only when the latch mechanism is in the engaged position and is lockable in the closed position by a manually operable handle catch. The front end of a handle cover is rotatably connected to the front end of the handle. The cover has a cover catch on the rear end, which is engagable with the latch mechanism to hold the cover closed. The cover is substantially coextensive with and in abutment with the handle. When the latch is mounted overhead and is open, the handle extends downward by the force of gravity and the cover extends downward away from the handle. In this configuration, the open latch is highly visible.

A method and device for generating a signal includes a housing having a wall. A fork bolt is pivotally coupled to the housing and movable between an unlatched and a latched position. A detent lever is pivotally coupled to the housing and cooperates with the fork bolt. A flexible member is connected to the housing of the latch. Proximate to a free end of the flexible member is a protruding portion. A link has a first end rotationally coupled to the fork bolt and a second end arranged to move linearly between a first position and a second position. When the fork bolt is in an unlatch position, the second end of the link applies a rotational force to the flexible member.

An actuating system for an actuatable door that comprises at least one latching device with a latching hook that is adapted for locking the actuatable door in a closed position, the latching hook being pivotally mounted to an associated pivot bearing and connected to a pivotable mechanical transmission element via a coupling link, which is pivotally mounted to the latching hook and to the pivotable mechanical transmission element, the pivotable mechanical transmission element being coupled to a rotatable latching shaft, wherein rotation of the rotatable latching shaft in operation results in pivoting of the pivotable mechanical transmission element and pivoting of the latching hook around the associated pivot bearing, wherein the pivotable mechanical transmission element is mounted onto the rotatable latching shaft. The invention is further related to an actuatable door having such an actuating system.

A vehicle latch is disclosed herein, the vehicle latch, having: a first gear with a first gear pitch radius that reduces from a first gear tooth to an ending gear tooth; a second gear with a second gear pitch radius that increases from a first gear tooth to an ending gear tooth, the second gear being rotatably mounted to the latch for movement about a second gear axis; and wherein rotation of the second gear causes a claw of the latch to move from a first position to a second position, the second position corresponding to a closed state of the latch.

A latch with a unique nesting toggle linkage that extends and retracts a hook via movement of an actuation handle. The linkage links have U-shaped lateral cross sections with a central channel into which the respective links nest when the latch is closed to minimize the overall volume of the latch. The links fold toward each other while closing to reduce the latch's overall length when fully closed. The components of the latch are arranged so that the center of gravity of the latch is positioned in front of a mounting pin; therefore, in applications where the latch swings in the vertical plane, the hook will necessarily hang downwardly away from the keeper when the latch is open. Optionally, a keeper detector prevents the actuation handle from closing if the keeper has not been first captured in the mouth of the hook. A rod-and-cylinder slide mechanism may be employed between the hook body and the mounting pin.

A vehicle door latch assembly is disclosed herein, having: a fork bolt movably secured to the latch assembly; a detent lever movably secured to the latch assembly, the detent lever being capable of movement between an engaged position and a disengaged position, the detent lever retains the fork bolt in a latched position when the detent lever is in the engaged position and an engagement surface of the detent lever contacts an engagement surface of the fork bolt; an inertia block out assembly for preventing the detent lever from moving into the disengaged position when the inertia block out assembly is in a blocking position; and a manual override mechanism for the inertia block out assembly, wherein the manual override mechanism requires at least three independent actions to be performed to move the inertia block out assembly from the blocking position to an unblocking position.

A latch for releasably connecting two elements is operable between engaged and released positions. An elongate handle opens and closes a latch mechanism about a first axis of rotation at the rear end of the handle. The latch handle is held closed only when the latch mechanism is in the engaged position and is lockable in the closed position by a manually operable handle catch. The front end of a handle cover is rotatably connected to the front end of the handle. The cover has a cover catch on the rear end, which is engagable with the latch mechanism to hold the cover closed. The cover is substantially coextensive with and in abutment with the handle. When the latch is mounted overhead and is open, the handle extends downward by the force of gravity and the cover extends downward away from the handle. In this configuration, the open latch is highly visible.