Patent ID: 6733052
Filing Date: 2004-05-11
Classification: E05B,Y10T

Abstract:
A power operated vehicle door latch having a forkbolt that moves between a latched position and an unlatched position, a detent for holding the forkbolt in the latched position, a release mechanism for moving the detent to release the forkbolt and a lock mechanism for disabling the release mechanism comprising:an intermittent lever for moving the detent to release the forkbolt forming part of the release mechanism and part of the lock mechanism, a lock lever forming part of the lock mechanism, the lock lever moving the intermittent lever back and forth between an unlock position where the intermittent lever drives the detent to release the forkbolt and a lock position where the intermittent lever moves without driving the detent, a motor driven actuator for operating the lock mechanism, the actuator including a pivotally mounted actuating lever, and an electric motor that is drivingly connected to the actuator via a jack screw having a nut that pivots the actuating lever in one direction to a locked position and in an opposite direction to an unlocked position, and a centering device for returning the nut and the actuating lever to a neutral position after the electric motor drives the actuating lever to the locked position or to the unlocked position, the centering device having a first coil torsion spring that returns the nut and the actuating lever to the neutral position from the locked position and a second coil torsion spring that returns the nut and the actuating lever to the neutral position from the unlocked position.