Abstract:
A liftgate handle assembly for actuating a remotely mounted liftgate latch comprising a liftgate handle assembly including a housing having a handle pivotally mounted therein, a key cylinder rotatably mounted therein, a main lever slidably and pivotally mounted thereon, a subordinate lever mounted thereon and in pivotal communication with the main lever which is operably engageable by the handle and operably connected to the key cylinder. The liftgate handle assembly includes a cable connected between the subordinate lever and the liftgate latch. The main lever is adapted to be reciprocally slidably actuated between a locked and an unlocked mode by rotation of the key cylinder, and pivotally actuated in an unlocked mode by manually lifting the handle to move the cable via the subordinate lever to operate the liftgate latch.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to handle assemblies, and more particularly to an improved liftgate handle and latch assembly. 
     DISCUSSION 
     Since the origin of the automobile the necessity existed for the inclusion of handle assemblies for the various doors, latches and liftgates that have evolved with the evolution of the automobile. Over the years, handle assemblies have improved as new and innovative assemblies have been discovered. In modern day vehicles having liftgate handle locking mechanisms and more particularly liftgate with dual latch and/or combined liftgate/liftglass locking features, the desire for multiple interrelated functions have required new and innovative methods of packaging. More particularly, in order to accommodate the multiple features such as operation of a mechanism that controls both the liftgate and liftgate locking feature for example, as well as the inclusion of a power feature to perform these functions and others, the packaging of the features in the confined space of a narrow liftgate has resulted in the necessity for narrow tolerances and build variation. 
     In the example of a sport utility vehicle the liftgate handle assembly is spaced from the liftgate latch mechanism such that the two are connected by a latch rod extending between a lever and a latch mechanism to actuate the latter. Due to the rigidity of the latching rod and the fixed nature of the liftgate handle assembly and latch mechanism, there is little tolerance for build variation. This results in difficulties during the installation of the assembly in production of the vehicle necessitating during production, and after, adjustments to the latch rod so that the system can operate appropriately. This results in increased costs in slowing production and in post-production adjustments. 
     Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a handle and latch assembly that compensates for build variation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a handle and latch assembly that frees up build variation. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a handle and latch assembly that is contained in dimensional length therein allowing loading in an existing liftgate/liftgate design. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when reference is made to the following drawings and accompanying description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In order to appreciate the manner in which the advantages and objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings only depict an illustrated embodiment of the present invention and are not therefore to be considered limiting in scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a rear view of a vehicle illustrating its liftgate, rear window, and a housing assembly embodying the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of a latch mechanism illustrating two operational positions thereof; 
     FIG. 3 is a front view of the inventive housing assembly, and remote mounted liftgate latch and power actuator therefor; 
     FIG. 4-6 are rear views of the housing assembly illustrating three operational conditions thereof; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  8 — 8  of FIG. 5, illustrating two operational positions of a portion of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is directed to a liftgate handle and latch assembly within a liftgate, as generally illustrated in FIG.  1 . Turning to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, a liftgate  10  and adjacent window  12  of a vehicle  14  includes a liftgate outside handle assembly  16  mounted in an opening  18  formed in a central portion of the liftgate  10 . The assembly  16  is positioned as high as possible above the lower end of the liftgate  10 , away from any water and contaminants that may be lifted up from the roadway. As best shown in FIG. 3, the handle assembly  16  includes a housing  24  having a flush-type, pull-to handle  26  pivotally mounted in a central pocket  28  in the housing. A key cylinder  30  is rotatably mounted in one end of the housing  24 . 
     Turning to FIGS. 7 and 8 an arcuate-shaped wall  32  forms a recess portion  36  for receiving the handle  26 . The handle  26  is connected to an arcuate-shaped back wall  38  by short side walls  40  and  42 . The back wall  38  abuts against a recessed surface  44  formed in the wall  32 . The walls  38 ,  40  and  42  form a pocket  46  behind the handle  26  for inserting an operator&#39;s fingers. 
     Two spaced-apart, upwardly extending mounting flanges  48  and  50  are formed on the back side of the housing wall  32 . A pair of upwardly extending mounting arms  52  and  54  are formed on the back side of the handle wall  38 , adapted to extend upwardly adjacent the inside surfaces of the respective mounting flanges  48  and  50 . A pivot pin  56  extends through aligned openings  58 ,  60 ,  62 , and  64  formed adjacent to the upper ends of the respective mounting members  50 ,  54 ,  52  and  48  such that the mounting arms  52  and  54  are pivotally mounted thereon to accommodate the manual lifting of the handle  26 . Torsion springs  66  and  68  are mounted around the central portions of the pin  56  adjacent the mounting arms  52  and  54 . End wires  70  and  72  extending from one end of the springs  66  and  68  downwardly along side the arm  52  and  54  against housing wall  32 , with a bent end  74  and  76  thereof extending laterally so as to lie on the front edge  78  of the arms  52  and  54 . Second end wires  80  and  82  extending from the other end of the springs  66  and  68 , respectively, extend downwardly so as to engage the back side of the wall  32  forming the recess  36  in the housing  24 . As such, the coil springs  66  and  68  and ends  74  and  76  and  80  and  82  serve to urge the handle  26  into its closed, flush position in the housing  24 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 4,  7  and  8  the upwardly extending mounting arms  52  and  54  extend along the back wall  32  of the housing. When the back wall  38  of the handle  26  is urged by the springs  66  and  68  against the recessed surface  44  of the housing wall  32 , the arms  52  and  54  abut against respective rubber stops  84  and  86  (best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8) mounted in holes  88  and  90  (best seen in FIG.  4 ), formed in additional back walls  92  and  94  having side walls  96  and  98  molded between the housing upwardly extending mounting flanges  48  an d  50 . Back walls  92  and  94  are molded such that approximately midway between the e upwardly extending mounting flanges  48  and  50 , back wall  94  extends further outwardly than back wall  92  forming a side wall  100  connecting back walls  92  and  94 , a and side walls  101  and  103  best shown in FIG.  4 . The molded configuration of additional back walls  92  and  94  create a steeped configuration wherein additional back wall  92  is on a lower or inwardly positioned plane as compared to additional back wall  94  which is predominantly on a higher or outwardly positioned plane. 
     Returning to FIG. 4, it is noted that the key cylinder  30  is inserted into and rotatably mounted in an enclosure  104  molded as an integral part of the back of the housing  24  adjacent a side of the recess  36 . A coil spring, represented as  106 , is mounted around the cylinder  30  exterior of the enclosure  104 , serving to return the cylinder to center after a key (not shown) has rotated the cylinder. A hook-like cylinder lever  108  is secured at it slower body portion  110  by a suitable fastener  112  (a C-clip is shown) to an extension  114  of the key cylinder  30 . An upwardly extending arm  116  is formed on the lower end portion  110 , and a downwardly extending finger  118  is formed on the arm  116 , such that an open-ended slot  120  is formed between the arm  116  and the finger  118  for a purpose to be described. 
     Returning to FIG. 4, a main lever  122  pivotably and is laterally slidably mounted on the upper portion of the back side of the additional back wall  94 . Specifically, a pin  124  is mounted through the additional back wall  94 , and a first slot  126  is formed in a mid-section of the lever  122  for mounting on the pin  124 . A washer  128  retains the lever  122  for mounting on the pin  124 . A lip  130  is formed on a top edge  132  of the lever  122 . A notch  1   34  is formed in the top edge  132  adjacent the lip  130 . A hole  1   36  is formed at a first end  138  of the lever  122 . A pin  140  is mounted and secured to lever  122  through the hole  136 . The pin  140  extends through the open-ended slot  120  of the key cylinder lever  108  at the juncture of the arm  116  and finger  118 . The pin  140  is adapted to be secured within the slot  120 . The pin is a pivoting, slidable connector between levers  122  and  108 . 
     A subordinate lever  142  is movably mounted on the upper portion of the back side of the additional back wall  92  in a position between the back wall  92  and the main lever  122  and in communication with the main lever  122 . Specifically, a pin  144  is mounted through the additional back wall  92 . The pin  144  pivotally mounts one end of the subordinate lever  142  to the additional back wall  92  via a washer  146 . The subordinate lever  142  has along its midsection a headed shoulder pin protrusion  148 . The protrusion  148  is designed to movably engage a slot  150  that is formed at a second end  152  of main lever  122 . The subordinate lever  142  also has at its end  154  a connector clip  156 . A cable sheathing  158  is secured to a connector clip  160  mounted to the housing  24  and a cable end fitting  162  is movably connected to the connector clip  156  on the end  154  of the subordinate lever  142 . The cable  158  extends downwardly so as to operatively engage a latch lever  164  (FIGS. 1-3) extending from a latch mechanism  165  in FIG. 2, located adjacent the bottom edge of the liftgate  10 . 
     Referring once again to FIG. 4, it is noted that a U-shaped leaf spring  166  is mounted on the bottom portion of the additional back wall  94 , below the lever  122 . An upwardly turned tab  168  (best shown in FIG. 6) formed at an intermediate portion of the upper leg  170  of the leaf spring  166  extends through a square opening  172  in the additional back wall  94 . The upper edge of the opening  172  serves as a stop for the tab  168  and the associated upper leg  170 . A convex bend  174  if formed on the distal end of the upper leg  170  for cooperation with each of two spaced recessed portions  176  and  178  formed on the bottom edge of the lever  122 . 
     Returning to FIG. 4, an actuator lug  180  is formed on the upper end of the mounting arm  54 , extending across the space above a notch  134  in the top edge  132  of the lever  122 , when the latter is in its rightmost or locked mode position. If the handle  26  were pulled or pivoted outwardly from the housing  24  while the lever  122  is in this locked mode position, the actuator lug  180  merely moves through the space above the notch  134 , without moving the lever  122 , and, therefore, without unlatching the latch  164 . 
     In operation, as illustrated in FIG. 5 once a key is inserted in the key cylinder  30  and rotated clockwise approximately a one-eighth turn, the lower body portion  110  of the key cylinder lever  108  is similarly rotated to thereby cause the pin  140  in the open-ended slot  120  to move laterally with the arm  116  and finger  118  and, hence, to move the lever  122  to its leftmost or unlocked mode position as permitted by the movement of the pin  124  in the slot  126  in the lever  122 . This brings the bent-over lip  130  into position just below the actuator lug  180 . 
     Returning to FIGS. 5-6, while the lever  122  is in the leftmost position just described above, when the handle  26  is pulled outwardly, the actuator lug  180  engages the bentover lip  130 , urging it and its associated lever  122  in a counterclockwise rotation about the pin  124  against the force of the upper leg  170  of the spring  166 , which has its convex bend  174  seated in the recessed portion  178  on the bottom edge of the lever  122 . The result of the counterclockwise movement of the lever  122  is to move the pin  140  downwardly in the open-ended slot  120  between the arm  116  and the finger  118  of the key cylinder lever  108 , and the end  154  of the subordinate lever  142  upwardly causing the cable end fitting  162  to be lifted thereby raising the latch lever  164  (FIG. 2) unlatching the latch mechanism  164  (FIG. 2) for opening the liftgate  10 . When the liftgate  10  is once again closed, and the handle  26  released, rotation of the key counterclockwise in the key cylinder  30  approximately a one-eighth turn moves the lever  122  to the right or locked mode via the corresponding action of the key cylinder lever  108 , until the left end of the slot  126  engages the pin  124  to thereby render any lifting of the handle  26  ineffective, and retain the liftgate  10  in a locked condition. At this point, the convex bend  174  of the leaf spring  166  seats in the recessed portion  176  of lever  122 . When leaf spring  166  is seated in either of recessed portions  176  or  178 , a positive stop or detent position is thereby provided which prevents the main lever  122  from being accidentally jarred from one of the locked or unlocked mode to the other by any lateral load against the vehicle. 
     As an optional arrangement, a power actuator  190  (FIG. 3) may be mounted intermediate the outer and inner walls of the liftgate  10 , and connected to the lever  122  via a connector  182 . Specifically, a connector rod  184  is connected between an opening  186  formed in the end  138  and an end  188  of a power actuator  190  reciprocally mounted in the actuator  192 . An electrical connection  194  mounted on the bottom surface of the actuator  192  is adapted to receive a connector  196  of a lead line  198  extending from power door locks (not shown). The power actuator  190  may be included in addition to key cylinder  30  to slidably move the lever  122  between the locked and the unlocked positions while the operator is inside the vehicle. 
     It can be appreciated from the above description that the subordinate lever  142  which is connected to the main lever  122  by slot  150  and pin  148 , compensates for build variation in the handle and latch assembly. This is accomplished by allowing any variation to be taken up by the cable  158  which is installed with a loop in the cable  158  therein allowing excess cable to be available to compensate. 
     Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification and the following claims. Thereof, the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification and the following claims.