Abstract:
A vehicle door locking system, in which a push lock function is added to the door lock release lever of an existing vehicle, integrates a lock release function and a safety lock function into a single integrated lever to thereby permit the number of parts and the cost of production to be reduced. To this end, the vehicle door locking system includes a door latch assembly installed on one side of a door, an integrated lever operating the door latch assembly, and a cable connecting the integrated lever with the door latch assembly. The door is put in an open state when the integrated lever is pulled, an unlocked state when the integrated lever is in a neutral state, and a safety locked state when the integrated lever is pushed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority of Korean Patent Application Number 10-2009-0076922 filed Aug. 19, 2009, the entire contents of which application is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates to a vehicle door locking system. More particularly, it relates to a vehicle door locking system, in which an inside handle is pushed to lock a door. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, the door of a vehicle is equipped with an inside handle connected with a latch on the inner side thereof so as to be able to unlock or lock the door. 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view illustrating a conventional vehicle door locking system. 
         [0007]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a door inside handle  10  includes a lock release lever  20  pulled to open a door, and a safety lock knob  40  installed on the same axis as the lock release lever  20  and adjusting the operation of a safety lock. 
         [0008]    The lock release lever  20  is connected to a latch  70  via a lock release cable  30 , and the safety lock knob  40  is connected to the latch  70  via a safety lock cable  50 . 
         [0009]    At this time, when the safety lock knob  40  protrudes toward the passenger compartment, the lock release lever  20  is pulled to open the door. On the other hand, when the safety lock knob  40  is pushed away from the passenger compartment, i.e. does not protrude toward the passenger compartment, the door will not open although the lock release lever  20  is pulled. 
         [0010]    However, the door locking system facilitates the convenience of a user by installing the safety lock knob, the lock release lever, the two cables, and the latch assembly for a door locks in the vehicle door. The safety lock knob and the lock release lever are connected to and operated with the latch assembly through respective cables, so that the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are increased, which is attributed to increasing the cost of production. 
         [0011]    The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-described problems associated with the prior art. The present invention is directed toward providing a vehicle door locking system, in which a push lock function is added to an existing lock release lever, thereby integrating the function of an existing safety lock knob into a single lever to thereby permit the number of parts and the cost of production to be reduced. 
         [0013]    In one aspect, the present invention provides a vehicle door locking system which includes a door latch assembly installed on one side of a door, an integrated lever operating the door latch assembly, and a cable connecting the integrated lever with the door latch assembly. The state of the door changes to an open state when the integrated lever is pulled, an unlocked state when the integrated lever is neutral, and a safety locked state when the integrated lever is pushed in. 
         [0014]    According to the present invention, the vehicle door locking system has the following advantages and effects. 
         [0015]    First, in the case of a conventional inside handle, a lock release lever and a safety lock knob are separately installed to facilitate the convenience of a passenger. On the contrary, in the case of the inventive inside handle, a push function is added to a lock release lever, thereby integrating the function of the safety lock knob. As a result, the parts associated with the function of the safety lock knob are eliminated to be able to reduce the number of parts and the cost of production. 
         [0016]    Second, the end of a cable is coupled to a safety lock link using a ball joint, and a latch release link is rotated by a hook connected to the end of the cable, so that a lock release function and a safety lock function can be simultaneously realized using a single integrated lever. 
         [0017]    Other aspects and other embodiments of the invention are discussed infra. 
         [0018]    It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example a vehicle which is both gasoline- and electric-powered. 
         [0019]    The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description of the Invention, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view illustrating a conventional vehicle door locking system. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating a vehicle door locking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates the operation of each component at the time of performing the door lock operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  illustrates the operation of each component at the time of performing the door unlock operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  illustrates the operation of each component at the time of performing the door open operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  illustrates the operation of a safety lock link at the time of performing each door operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0026]    It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale and present a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0027]    Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  is a schematic view illustrating a vehicle door locking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0029]    The present invention is directed to a vehicle door locking system, which adds the function of a safety lock knob to a lock release lever, instead of removing the safety lock knob installed on an existing inside handle. 
         [0030]    An existing lock release lever for opening a door is a device which is required to perform only a pull operation, and thus uses no push operation. 
         [0031]    However, the present invention is configured to apply a locking function to the pushing function of the lock release lever. 
         [0032]    The vehicle door locking system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an integrated lever  100 , a cable  110 , and a door latch assembly. 
         [0033]    The integrated lever  100  operates the door latch assembly to open, unlock, or lock the door. 
         [0034]    The integrated lever  100  makes it possible to perform pull, neutral and push operations. The push operation is added to the existing lock release lever, so that a locking function can be implemented by the existing lock release lever. 
         [0035]    Here, the neutral operation of the integrated lever  100  refers to the state where the pull operation of the integrated lever  100  is released, i.e. the state where the integrated lever  100  is not pulled toward the passenger compartment and is not pushed away from the passenger compartment. 
         [0036]    The integrated lever  100  is connected with the door latch assembly. Thus, when the integrated lever  100  is pulled, the door is opened. When the integrated lever  100  is released from being pulled, the door is unlocked. When the integrated lever  100  is pushed, the door is locked. 
         [0037]    The cable  110  connects the integrated lever  100  with the door latch assembly, and thus serves to transmit the operation of the integrated lever  100  to the door latch assembly. 
         [0038]    The door latch assembly is mounted on an inner panel of the door, and includes a housing  121 , an end of the cable  110 , and first to fourth links  122 ,  126 ,  127  and  125 . 
         [0039]    The housing  121  holds the end of the cable  110  and the first to fourth links  122 ,  126 ,  127  and  125 , and serves to protect them from an external force. 
         [0040]    The cable  110  is connected to a first end of the housing  121 . The end of the cable  110 , which is connected so as to integrally move with the cable  110 , is inserted into the first end of the housing  121 . The end of the cable  110  is provided with a ball end  111  having the shape of a ball. 
         [0041]    At this time, the ball end  111  has a connecting cable  123  of a small diameter, which extends along the same axis as the cable  110 . A hook  124  is attached to an end of the connecting cable  123 . The hook  124  is connected with the fourth link  125 , which will be described below. 
         [0042]    The first link  122  includes a ball socket  122   a  formed to retain the ball end  111  of the end of the cable. Thus, the first link  122  continues to be coupled with the ball end  111  of the end of the cable  110  in locking and unlocking functions when the ball socket  122   a  retains the ball end  111  of the end of the cable  110 , and continues to be decoupled from the ball end  111  of the end of the cable  110  in a releasing (opening) function. 
         [0043]    The first link  122  is rotatably supported on one side of the housing  121  at one end thereof, and is rotatably hinged with one end of the second link  126  at the other end thereof. The other end of the second link  126  is connected with one end of the third link  127 . The third link  127  is installed in the housing  121  so as to be movable left and right. 
         [0044]    The second link  126  is provided with a hinge part  126   a , which is hinged to an upper end of the third link  127 , and a slide part  126   b , which is slidably coupled to a lower portion of the third link  127 , at the other end thereof. 
         [0045]    The third link  127  is formed with a slide groove in one end thereof, so that the slide part  126   b  of the second link  126  can move left and right along the slide groove of the third link  127 . 
         [0046]    The fourth link  125  is rotatably installed on a lower side of the housing  121 , and is provided with a hooking slot in one end thereof, so that the hook  124  is slidably coupled in the hooking slot of the fourth link  125 . As the end of the cable is pulled or pushed, the fourth link  125  is rotated, so that the open or lock/unlock operation is carried out. 
         [0047]    Further, the housing  121  is provided with a guide protrusion at an upper end thereof. The guide protrusion serves to guide the ball end  111  to be coupled to the ball socket  122   a  of the first link  122  when the ball end  111  of the end of the cable  110  moves up and down. 
         [0048]    The hook  124  is coupled in the hooking slot so as to be movable up and down. Thus, the hook  124  moves toward a lower end of the hooking slot in a door locked state, and toward an upper end of the hooking slot in a door unlocked state. 
         [0049]    An operation of the vehicle door locking system having this configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. 
         [0050]      FIG. 3  illustrates the operation of each component at the time of performing the door lock operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 4  illustrates the operation of each component at the time of performing the door unlock operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 5  illustrates the operation of each component at the time of performing the door open operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 6  illustrates the operation of a safety lock link at the time of performing each door operation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0051]    1. Door Safety Lock 
         [0052]    The integrated lever  100  is pushed away from the passenger compartment, thereby keeping the door latch assembly locked through the cable  110 . 
         [0053]    Here, when the integrated lever  100  is pushed, the end of the cable moves downwards, and thus the ball end  111  of the end of the cable pushes and rotates the ball socket  122   a  of the first link  122 . Thereby, the ball end  111  is surrounded by the ball socket  122   a , so that the door is put into a safety locked state. 
         [0054]    At this time, the second link  126  is rotated in a direction opposite the direction where the first link  122  is rotated, thereby pulling the third link  127  in a rightward direction. The slide part  126   b  of the second link  126  moves into the slide groove of the third link  127 , and the hook  124  connected with the end of the cable moves toward the lower end of the hooking slot. 
         [0055]    Here, the fourth link  125  is rotated in a downward direction, and the user feels the operation caused by the coupling of the ball end  111  with the ball socket  122   a . When the integrated lever  100  is pulled with force enough to decouple the ball end  111  from the ball socket  122   a , the safety lock of the door can be released. 
         [0056]    Accordingly, the integrated lever  100  is allowed to perform the function of the safety lock knob. 
         [0057]    2. Door Unlock 
         [0058]    The integrated lever  100  is put in a neutral state, thereby keeping the door latch assembly unlocked through the cable  110 . 
         [0059]    Here, when the integrated lever  100  is put in the neutral state, the end of the cable is pulled, and thus the ball end  111  of the end of the cable pulls up and rotates the first link  122 . Thereby, the ball end  111  comes out of the ball socket  122   a , so that the door is put in an unlocked state. As the first link  122  is rotated and returns to its original state, the second link  126  is rotated in a direction opposite the direction where the first link  122  is rotated, thereby pushing the third link  127  in a leftward direction. The slide part  126   b  of the second link  126  moves out of the slide groove of the third link  127 . 
         [0060]    The hook  124  connected with the end of the cable moves toward the upper end of the hooking slot. 
         [0061]    3. Door Open 
         [0062]    The integrated lever  100  is pulled from the passenger compartment, thereby keeping the door latch assembly opened thanks to the cable  110 . 
         [0063]    Here, when the integrated lever  100  is pulled, the end of the cable moves upwards, and thus the ball end  111  of the end of the cable is completely decoupled from the ball socket  122   a  of the first link  122  in an upward direction. As the hook  124  connected with the end of the cable pulls up and rotates the fourth link  125 , the door is put in an open state. 
         [0064]    Here, the first, second and third links  122 ,  126  and  127  take part in the lock/unlock operation of the door, whereas the first link  122  and the fourth link  125  take part in the open operation of the door. 
         [0065]    For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper” or “lower”, and etc. are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. 
         [0066]    The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.