Latch for a vehicle door
View Patent ↗A latch for latching closed a door of a vehicle, especially designed to minimize the force required to latch closed the door by pushing the door to its closed position. A tongue, having a strike face and a catch face, is resiliently mounted in the latch so as to be urged to a latch-engaged position by a torsion spring pushing against a surface of the tongue and against a cover plate of the latch. A slider block is coupled to a door handle and to the tongue so that the tongue can be swiveled to a disengaged state by use of the door handle, in order to open the vehicle door.
1. A door latch for a door of a vehicle, the door latch comprising:
a slider spring ( 10 a );
a spring perch ( 10 b ), having a spring perch member ( 10 c ) for providing a stop for the slider spring, the spring perch ( 10 b ) also having protruding anchor members ( 10 d );
a plurality of fasteners ( 12 );
a cover plate ( 10 e ), having apertures adapted for receiving one or more of the fasteners ( 12 ) for attaching the door latch ( 10 ) to the door ( 14 ), the cover plate ( 10 e ) also having apertures adapted for receiving the anchor members ( 10 d ) of the spring perch ( 10 b );
a pin ( 11 a );
a control rod ( 11 b ) having an upper end and a lower end, the lower end coupled to the door handle of the vehicle door;
a slider block ( 10 f ), having an aperture adapted for holding the slider spring ( 10 a ) and for receiving the spring perch member ( 10 c ), the slider block ( 10 f ) also having an aperture ( 10 g ) adapted for receiving the pin ( 11 a ) coupling the slider block ( 10 f ) to the upper end of the control rod ( 11 b ), the slider block ( 10 f ) also having a cutout portion adapted for receiving the control rod ( 11 b ) and disposed so that the pin ( 11 a ) passes through the cutout portion, the slider block ( 10 f ) also having two control link apertures ( 10 j ), the control link apertures located on opposite sides of the slider block ( 10 f ), each control link aperture ( 10 j ) opening into the aperture adapted for holding the slider spring ( 10 a );
a control link dowel pin ( 10 r );
a swivel dowel pin ( 10 t );
a tongue ( 10 k ), provided as a body formed so as to have a substantially planar strike face ( 10 m ) and a curved catch face ( 10 n ) meeting at an apex portion ( 10 p ) of the tongue ( 10 k ), and having an aperture ( 10 q ) proximate to the catch face ( 10 n ) adapted for receiving the control link dowel pin ( 10 r ), the tongue ( 10 k ) also having an aperture ( 10 s ) proximate the strike face ( 10 m ) adapted for receiving the swivel dowel pin ( 10 t ), the tongue ( 10 k ) further having a cavity ( 10 u ) aligned with and encompassing a portion of the aperture proximate the strike face ( 10 m );
a torsion spring ( 10 v ) having two arms and disposed within the cavity ( 10 u ), the torsion spring ( 10 v ) also having a coiled portion pierced by the swivel dowel pin ( 10 t ) and oriented so as to urge a pivoting of the tongue ( 10 k ) about the swivel dowel pin ( 10 t ) in a direction away from the slider block ( 10 f ) by one arm pushing against the cover plate ( 10 e ) and the other arm pushing against a surface of the tongue ( 10 k );
two slider dowel pins ( 10 x );
two elongated control links ( 10 w ), each elongated control link having an aperture at an uppermost end and also at a lowermost end, the two control links ( 10 w ) disposed on opposite sides of the slider block ( 10 f ), each elongated control link ( 10 w ) coupled to the slider block ( 10 f ) via a respective one of the slider dowel pins ( 10 x ) extending from a respective one of the lowermost apertures into the proximate slider block aperture ( 10 j ), wherein each control link ( 10 w ) is also coupled to the tongue ( 10 k ) via the control link dowel pin ( 10 r ) extending out from both sides of the tongue ( 10 k ) into the uppermost apertures of the control links ( 10 w ); and
two side blocks ( 10 y ), each side block ( 10 y ) having apertures ( 10 z ) adapted for receiving a respective one or more of the fasteners ( 12 ) for attaching the door latch ( 10 ) to the door, the side blocks ( 10 y ) disposed on opposite sides of the slider block ( 10 f ), and each side block ( 10 y ) having an aperture ( 10 z ) adapted for receiving the swivel dowel pin ( 10 t ) on which the tongue ( 10 k ) swivels relative to the two side blocks ( 10 y ).