ROTARY LATCH WITH DAMPENING AND BARREL RETENTION

Abstract

A rotary latch assembly for a vehicle door includes a rotor and a catch mounted between front and rear latch plates with a spring bias for movement between opening and closing positions. A noise dampening bumper resides between the plates to engage the rotor during opening and closing movements for soft opening and closing. An actuator barrel, for releasing the catch from the closed position to the open position, is snap fit between the plates, to eliminate use of a mounting clip.

Claims

1. A latch assembly for a door pivotally mounted to a door frame on a vehicle, comprising: first and second latch plates connected together by first and second axles; a catch mounted on the first axle for reciprocal rotation; a rotor mounted on the second axle for reciprocal rotation between a closed position adapted to capture a striker on the door frame of the vehicle; a bumper between the plates to engage the rotor and thereby dampen sound from the rotor when the rotor moves to the open position releasing the striker.

2. The latch assembly of claim 1 wherein the bumper engages the striker when the rotor is moved to the closed position to dampen rattling sound between the rotor and the striker.

3. The latch assembly of claim 1 further comprising an actuator barrel extending between the plates with a snap fit retention to one of the plates.

4. The latch assembly of claim 3 wherein the barrel actuator has a pair of resilient legs and the one plate has a hole through which the legs extend.

5. The latch assembly of claim 4 wherein each leg terminates in a shoulder which retentively engages the one plate.

6. The latch assembly of claim 5 wherein the legs move between a compressed position to pass through the hole and an expanded position to retain the barrel actuator between the plates.

7. The latch assembly of claim 1 wherein the bumper has a first portion to engage the rotor in the open position and a second position to engage the rotor in the closed position.

8. The latch assembly of claim 1 wherein bumper includes a third portion adapted to engage the striker when the rotor is in the closed position.

9. The latch assembly of claim 1 wherein the bumper has a notch adapted to receive the striker.

10. The latch assembly of claim 1 wherein the bumper has a body residing between the plates and first and second tabs for retentive engagement with notches in the first and second plates, respectively.

11. A latch assembly for a vehicle door mounted in a door frame for movement between open and closed positions, with a striker on the door frame, the latch comprising: first and second plates connected by first and second axles; a catch on the first axle; a rotor on the second axle; and an actuator barrel rotatably mounted between the first and second plates with resilient tabs.

12. The latch assembly of claim 11 wherein the resilient tabs reside between the first and second plates.

13. The latch assembly of claim 11 wherein the actuator barrel rotatably extends through a first hole in the first plate and into a second hole in the second plate.

14. The latch assembly of claim 13 wherein the second hole is a key hole, and an end of the actuator barrel rotates within the key hole.

15. The latch assembly of claim 11 wherein the second plate has a key hole for rotatable receipt of one end of the actuator barrel.

16. The latch assembly of claim 11 further comprising a trip lever connected to the actuator barrel.

17. The latch assembly of claim 11 wherein the actuator barrel includes a shoulder, and the first plate is sandwiched between the shoulder and the resilient tabs.

18. The latch assembly of claim 11 further comprising a bumper mounted between the plates to provide soft opening and closing of the rotor.

19. The latch assembly of claim 18 wherein the bumper has first and second tabs for retentive engagement with the first and second plates, respectively.

20. The latch assembly of claim 18 wherein the bumper includes a notch adapted to receive the striker when the door is closed.

21. A spring for a vehicle door latch assembly having a rotor and a catch mounted on respective axles, comprising: a spring member formed with opposite loop ends extending in opposite rotational directions for mounting on the axles; and a V-shape formed in the spring member between the loop ends.

22. The spring of claim 21 wherein the spring member is formed with a single, continuous wire.

23. The spring of claim 21 wherein the loop ends form a double torsion spring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the latch assembly.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the latch assembly with all parts shown and the rotor fully open.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a s left side view of the latch system mechanism with all parts shown and the rotor fully open.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a front view of the latch assembly with all parts shown and the rotor fully open.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the latch assembly with all parts shown and the rotor fully open

[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the latch assembly, showing the catch rotated to the released position.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a partial front view of the latch showing the barrel in its normal at-rest state.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a close-up partial perspective view of the stopping mechanism for the catch.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a back view of the entire latch assembly and striker, with the rotor in the fully closed position.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a back view of the entire latch assembly, with the rotor in the fully open position.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a top view of the entire latch assembly.

[0022] FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the entire latch assembly.

[0023] FIG. 13a is a perspective view with the rotor, axle, and spring hidden to show how the bumper is secured between the plates.

[0024] FIG. 13b is a perspective view with the back plate, axle, and spring hidden to show how the bumper is secured between the plates and how the striker interacts with the bumper.

[0025] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the latch assembly with the rotor fully open and the spring, back plate, rivet, and both levers hidden to show how the assembly works internally.

[0026] FIG. 15 is a left-side view showing only the two plates, screw, lever, and barrel to show how the barrel fits between the plates with a snap feature.

[0027] FIG. 16 is a perspective view with the back plate, with the spring hidden to better show how the rotor, in the closed position, interacts with the bumper and catch.

[0028] FIG. 17 is a perspective view with the back plate, with the spring hidden to better show how the rotor, in the open position, interacts with the bumper and catch.

[0029] FIG. 18 is a front view of the latch assembly with the front plate and spring hidden and the rotor fully open and the lever in its resting state.

[0030] FIG. 19 is a front view of the latch assembly, with the front plate hidden and the rotor, catch, and barrel in a partially closed secondary position.

[0031] FIG. 20 is a front view of the latch assembly with the front plate hidden and the rotor fully open and the lever pulled to its furthest constraint.

[0032] FIG. 21 is a front view of the latch assembly with the front plate hidden and the rotor fully closed with the lever in its resting state.

[0033] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the bumper.

[0034] FIG. 23a is a back view of the bumper, with the top of the bumper shaped to catch the curvature of the rotor when the rotor is in the closed position.

[0035] FIG. 23b is a front view of the bumper

[0036] FIG. 24 is a right side view of the bumper.

[0037] FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the barrel, showing the notches that work with the catch.

[0038] FIG. 26 is a left-side view of the barrel, showing the snap fit feature.

[0039] FIG. 27 is a partial back view of the barrel and a section in the front plate, to show the snap feature on the barrel.

[0040] FIG. 28 is a front view of just the barrel, this view shows the torsional brace.

[0041] FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the barrel being inserted into the back plate with the barrel snap features slightly compressed.

[0042] FIG. 30 is a left-side view of the barrel being inserted into the back plate with the barrel snap features extended.

[0043] FIG. 31 is a back view of the dual torsion spring showing the 90? angle on the connecting leg which enables a higher spring force due to the restriction of rotation to the opposing coiling.

[0044] FIG. 32 is a partial back view showing the rotor in the secondary position and the striker in the rotor in-pocket position preventing the striker from wedging in the opening between the latch plates and rotor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] A latch assembly 10 is intended for use on a vehicle door to control the opening and closing of the door. The latch assembly 10 includes a front plate 12 and a back plate 14, and a pair of axles 16, 18 extending between the plates 12, 14 to connect the plates 12, 14 together. The first and second axles 16, 18 can be secured to the plates 12, 14 in any convenient manner, such as staking or swedging.

[0046] A rotor 20 is mounted on the second axle 18, and a catch 22 is mounted on the first axle 16. The rotor 20 and catch 22 pivot in reciprocal manners on their respective axles. When the rotor 20 is in an open position, the rotor is adapted to receive a striker 75 on the vehicle door frame, and then pivot to a closed position as the door is fully closed, thereby capturing the striker 75 and maintaining the door in the closed position. When the catch 22 is actuated, a finger 23 of the catch disengages from a finger 21 on the rotor to release the rotor from its closed position for spring biased movement to its open position, wherein the striker 75 is released so that the door can be opened. Springs 24 are mounted on the axles 16, 18 and have ends engaging the rotor 20 and catch 22, so as to bias the rotor and the catch in their open positions.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the spring 24 is a double torsion spring formed from a single piece of wire, with the opposite ends being wound in opposite clockwise and counterclockwise directions. A V-shaped notch or transition 27 is formed in the wire between the opposite ends. The notch 27 isolates the spring force at each end, and thereby prevents transmission of forces between the rotor and the catch, so that the rotor and catch rotate independently of one another.

[0048] A bumper 26 is sandwiched between the front plate 12 and the back plate 14. The bumper 26 is to provide a soft opening and closing of the rotor 20, as described below.

[0049] The actuator 28 is mounted on the plates 12, 14 for reciprocal pivotal motion. A first trip lever 30 is mounted to the plates 12, 14 with a pin or rivet 32 for reciprocal pivotal movement. A second trip lever 34 is mounted to the barrel actuator 28 with a screw 36 for reciprocal pivotal movement. The bumper 26 is made of a soft sound absorbing material, such as rubber. The bumper 26 includes a body 38, a first tab 40, and a second tab 42. The tabs 40, 42 are received within the notches 44, 46 and the plates 12, 14, respectively. Receipt of the tabs 40, 42 in the notches 44, 46 retains the bumper 26 in position between the plates 12, 14. The body 38 of the bumper 26 has a curved surface 39 to substantially match the curvature on the bottom edge of a rotor leg 25 which engages the surface 39 when the rotor 20 moves to the closed position, thereby dampening or muffling the sound so as to provide a soft closing for the rotor. The bumper body 38 has a second damping area 47 which engages a tab 49 on the rotor 20 when the rotor moves to the open position, thereby dampening the sound of such engagement to provide a soft opening of the rotor 20. The bumper body 38 also includes a V or U shaped notch 48 adapted to receive the striker 75 when the door is fully closed. Engagement of the striker 75 with the bumper 26 eliminates any rattle noise for the latch, for example, when the vehicle is moving.

[0050] The barrel actuator 28 includes a body 50 having a shoulder 52 and resilient tabs 54 extending from one end of the barrel actuator 28. Each tab 54 has a fixed end 56 and a free end 58. The free ends 58 are spaced from the shoulder 52 a distance greater than the thickness of the plate 14. The barrel actuator 28 is designed to be mounted to the front plate 14 by pushing the legs 55 through a hole 60 in the back plate 14. The tabs 54 are resilient and compressed as the actuator 28 is pushed through the hole 60. As the tabs 54 are completely pushed through the hole 60, the tabs spring outwardly so as to sandwich the plate 54 between the shoulder 52 and the tabs 54. This snap fit assembly of the actuator 28 and plate 14 eliminates the need for a mounting clip, as in prior art latches. The barrel 28 includes a torsional brace 61 to provide strength, and to prevent the tabs 54 from shearing off under torsional load.

[0051] The first end 62 of the actuator 28 extends into a key hole 64 in the back plate 14. The opposite end or head 66 of the actuator 28 includes a projection 67. The second trip lever 34 has a slot 68 with the shape matching the projection 67 for projection. Actuation of the trip lever 34 rotates the barrel 28, which in turn pivots the catch 22 when the striker 75 is captured in the rotor. The front plate 12 includes a detent 70 to stop rotation of the catch 22 as the catch moves via bias of the spring 24 to the open position.

[0052] The embodiments, variations, and figures described above are provided as an indication of the utility and versatility of the present invention. Other embodiments that do not provide or otherwise utilize all of the features, processes and advantages set forth herein may also be utilized, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of the principles of the invention as defined by the claims set forth below.