Patent ID: 8376417
Filing Date: 2013-02-19
Classification: E05B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A door latch apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a latch adapted to be mounted to a door for the vehicle and rotating by engaging with a striker provided at a vehicle body; a pawl rotatable between a latch engagement position where a rotation of the latch is prohibited and a latch engagement release position where the rotation of the latch is permitted; a motor activated in response to an opening and closing operation of the door; a release power transmitting mechanism transmitting a rotational power of the motor in one direction to the pawl and causing the pawl to rotate from the latch engagement position to the latch engagement release position; an active rotary member operatively connected to an output shaft of the motor and rotatable in a reciprocating manner within a rotation range specified beforehand, the active rotary member being rotatable in one direction through operation of the motor to cause the release power transmitting mechanism to contact the pawl in a manner releasing the latch and being rotatable in an opposite direction through operation of the motor when the door is in a half-latched state to cause a closing power transmitting mechanism to move the latch from a half-latched position to a fully-latched position, the active rotary member transmitting the rotational power of the motor to the pawl via the release power transmitting mechanism by rotating in a first direction from a release member contact position where the active rotary member is in contact with a portion of the release power transmitting mechanism to a release completion position achieved by the active rotary member moving by a predetermined release operation angle from the release member contact position in a case where the door is operated to open, the active rotary member being arranged in a standby area defined between the release member contact position and a release member maximum separation position separated from the release member contact position in a second direction by a predetermined inoperative angle in a case where the active rotary member is in a normal state where the door is not operated to open; an input lever rotatable about a rotational shaft which is arranged in parallel with a rotational shaft of the active rotary member and at a position away from the active rotary member, the input lever overlapping the active rotary member; a cam projection formed in a projecting manner at a surface of the active rotary member where the input lever overlaps; a cam groove formed at the input lever and slidably engaging with the cam projection for causing the active rotary member and the input lever to operate in conjunction with each other, the cam groove extending at a position away from a reference line that connects a rotational center of the active rotary member and a rotational center of the input lever in a case where the standby area is arranged close to one side of the rotation range and the active rotary member is positioned close to the one side of the rotation range; and a rotational position of the input lever permitting detection of whether or not the active rotary member is arranged within the standby area.