Abstract:
A scissor apparatus for a latch assembly is disclosed, which includes a spring comprising a plurality of fingers for controlling the motion one or more sliders associated with said latch assembly, wherein said spring comprises a spring control independent of the actuation of such sliders. The fingers are generally integrated with the spring. Such a one-piece spring can be implemented as a stamped component with 2-off, 3-off or 6-off fingers to control the motion of the sliders. The stamped spring can clip onto existing latch assembly components in order to promote retention, and overcome friction with the latch assembly and return the sliders to a neutral position thereof.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/603,329 entitled “Scissor Mechanism for a Latch Assembly,” which was filed on Aug. 20, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     Embodiments are generally related to latch mechanisms. Embodiments are also related to door latch systems utilized in vehicles such as automobiles. Embodiments are additionally related to automatic latching systems.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Latching mechanisms (i.e., “latches”) are utilized in a variety of commercial and industrial applications, such as automobiles, airplanes, trucks, and the like. For example, an automotive closure, such as a door for an automobile passenger compartment, is typically hinged to swing between open and closed positions and conventionally includes a door latch that is housed between inner and outer panels of the door. The door latch functions in a well-known manner to latch the door when it is closed and to lock the door in the closed position or to unlock and unlatch the door so that the door can be opened manually.  
         [0004]     The door latch can be operated remotely from inside the passenger compartment by two distinct operators—a sill button or electric switch that controls the locking function and a handle that controls the latching function. The door latch is also operated remotely from the exterior of the automobile by a handle or push button that controls the latching function. A second distinct exterior operator, such as a key lock cylinder, may also be provided to control the locking function, particularly in the case of a front vehicle door. Each operator is accessible outside the door structure and extends into the door structure where it is operatively connected to the door latch mechanism by a cable actuator assembly or linkage system located inside the door structure.  
         [0005]     Vehicles, such as passenger cars, are therefore commonly equipped with individual door latch assemblies, which secure respective passenger and driver side doors to the vehicle. Each door latch assembly is typically provided with manual release mechanisms or lever for unlatching the door latch from the inside and outside of the vehicle, e.g. respective inner and outer door handles. In addition, many vehicles also include an electrically controlled actuator for remotely locking and unlocking the door latches.  
         [0006]     Automotive latches are increasingly performing complex functions with fewer motors. For example, it is desirable to perform a variety of latch functions with only one motor. In such cases, increased accurate motor control systems and methods are required in order properly electrically actuate the latch and obtain the desired operation. In order to enhance latching operations, it is often necessary that the latch assembly components, such as sliders and spring portions, function with sufficient force to trigger latching operations using intermediary elements and parts such as, for example, toggle levers and so forth. Conventional latch assemblies typically lack the necessary forth to return sliders, for example, to their neutral positions, which can result in latch failure or at the very least, poor latch performance. It is believed that a solution to these problems involves the design and implementation of improved spring mechanisms utilized in latch assemblies.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY  
       [0007]     The following summary of the invention is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.  
         [0008]     It is, therefore, one aspect of the present invention to provide for an improved latch assembly.  
         [0009]     It is another aspect of the present invention to provide for an improved slider return mechanism for use with such a latch assembly.  
         [0010]     It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide for a scissor mechanism for controlling sliders utilized in a latch assembly.  
         [0011]     The aforementioned aspects of the invention and other objectives and advantages can now be achieved as described herein. A scissor apparatus for a latch assembly is disclosed, which includes a spring comprising a plurality of fingers for controlling the motion one or more sliders associated with said latch assembly, wherein said spring comprises a spring control independent of the actuation of such sliders. The fingers are generally integrated with the spring. Such a one-piece spring can be implemented as a stamped component with 2-off, 3-off or 6-off fingers to control the motion of the sliders. The stamped spring can clip onto existing latch assembly components in order to promote retention, and overcome friction with the latch assembly and return the sliders to a neutral position thereof.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]     The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally-similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle door mounted to a passenger vehicle in which a preferred embodiment can be implemented;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  illustrates a latch assembly, which can be adapted for use with the passenger vehicle depicted in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  illustrates a conventional latch assembly, including conventional sliders and a conventional spring and retention pin for use therewith;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  illustrates a conventional slider actuation problem;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  illustrates a portion of a latch assembly including a scissor mechanism, in accordance with one embodiment;  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of a latch assembly, which can be implemented in accordance with one embodiment;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of a portion of the latch assembly depicted in  FIGS. 5-6 , in accordance with one embodiment;  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  illustrates a portion of a perspective view of the latch assembly depicted in  FIGS. 5-7 , in accordance with one embodiment;  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  illustrates actuation of the scissor mechanism depicted in  FIGS. 5-8 , in accordance with one embodiment;  
         [0022]      FIG. 10  illustrates the lower half of a latch assembly incorporating a scissor spring, in accordance with a preferred embodiment;  
         [0023]      FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of the scissor spring of  FIG. 10  mounted on a latch assembly, in accordance with a preferred embodiment;  
         [0024]      FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of the scissor spring depicted in  FIGS. 10-11 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment;  
         [0025]      FIG. 13  illustrates scissor spring actuation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment;  
         [0026]      FIG. 14  illustrates a scissor spring, which can be implemented in accordance with an alternative embodiment; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 15  illustrates a detailed view of a group of sliders that can be incorporated into a single piece scissor spring, which is independent of the control of slider actuation, in accordance with an alternative embodiment.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0028]     The particular values and configurations discussed in these non-limiting examples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate at least one embodiment and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.  
         [0029]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle door  13  mounted to a passenger vehicle in which a preferred embodiment can be implemented. A vehicle, such as an automobile can be equipped with one or more individual door latch assemblies  11 , which secure respective passenger and driver side doors to the vehicle  15 . Each door latch assembly  11  is typically provided with manual release mechanisms or lever for unlatching the door latch from the inside and outside of the vehicle, e.g. respective inner and outer door handles.  
         [0030]     In addition, many vehicles can also be equipped with electrically controlled actuators for remotely locking and unlocking the door latches. As indicated in  FIG. 1 , a door latch assembly  11  can be mounted to a driver&#39;s side vehicle door  13  of a passenger vehicle  15 . The door latch assembly  11  may be mounted to front and rear passenger side doors thereof and may be incorporated into a sliding side door, rear door, a rear hatch or a lift gate thereof, depending upon design constraints.  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  illustrates a latch assembly  200 , which can be adapted for use with the passenger vehicle  15  depicted in  FIG. 1 . Latch assembly  200  can be integrated with and/or adapted for use with door latch assembly  11  depicted in  FIG. 1 . Latch assembly  200  includes a scissor spring  1202 , which is explained in greater detail herein with respect to  FIGS. 10-15 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 3  illustrates a conventional latch assembly  300 , including conventional sliders  302 ,  304 ,  306  and a conventional spring  308 . Sliders  302 ,  304 ,  306  and spring  308  are generally located between a metal plate  320  and a metal plate  323 , which are maintained by one or more posts  322 . Note that in  FIGS. 3-4 , identical or similar parts or elements are generally indicated by identical reference numerals.  
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates therefore a conventional slider actuation problem associated with sliders  302 ,  304 ,  306  and spring  308  and retention pins  310 . In the illustration of  FIG. 4 , arrow  324  generally refers to slider actuation. In the configuration depicted in  FIG. 4 , sliders  302 ,  304  and/or  306  have difficulty returning to their neutral position(s) and in some instances do not travel far enough to activate any associated toggle levers or pawl. One of the problems associated with the mechanism depicted in  FIG. 4  is that slider  302 ,  304  and/or  306  can become jammed after independent actuation and does not return to its neutral position, which is shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0034]     The spring mechanism, depicted in  FIGS. 3-4  which includes spring  308  and retention pin  310  is mounted incorrectly, which generally causes sliders  302 ,  304 , and/or  306  to tilt at an angle during their respective transfer functions, thereby reducing their effective travel. Their return travel is therefore intermittent due to the angle of the slider, which causes the slider to bind in its guide path due to the tangential force of the spring leg on spring  308 . Thus, the force of spring  308  is insufficient to overcome the friction within the latch assembly  300  thereof to return the sliders  302 ,  304 ,  306  to their respective neutral positions.  
         [0035]      FIG. 5  illustrates a portion of a latch assembly  500  including a scissor mechanism thereof, in accordance with one embodiment.  FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of latch assembly  500 , in accordance with one embodiment. Similarly,  FIG. 7  illustrates an exploded view of a portion of latch assembly  500  depicted in  FIGS. 5-6 , in accordance with one embodiment.  FIG. 8  illustrates a portion of a perspective view of the latch assembly  500  depicted in  FIGS. 5-7 , in accordance with one embodiment.  FIG. 9  illustrates actuation of the scissor mechanism  409  depicted in  FIGS. 5-8 , in accordance with one embodiment. Note that in  FIGS. 5-9 , identical parts are indicated generally by identical reference numerals.  
         [0036]     Latch assembly  500  is similar to latch assembly  300  discussed earlier, but differs from the latch assembly  300  in that latch assembly  500  incorporates scissor mechanism  409 , which is generally composed of a scissor retention pin  408 . Scissor mechanism  409  additionally includes a first scissor arm  404 , which is located above a spring  402 , which in turn is located over a second scissor arm  414 . Scissor mechanism  409  also includes a circle clip  412  that engages scissor retention pin  408 . Scissor mechanism  409  can be composed of  5 -off parts, a spring  402 , two arms  404 ,  414  (i.e., identical in design, reverse mount to give opposite hand), circle clip  412  and scissor retention pin  408 . Spring mechanism  409  scissor arms  404  and  414  can be rotated during a transfer function of sliders  302 ,  304  or  306  associated with latch assembly  500 . An example of such sliders is shown in greater detail herein with respect to  FIGS. 14-15 . The configuration depicted in  FIGS. 5-9  thus eliminates the problems of sliders binding. The scissor retention pin  408  can be configured to incorporate an abutment to prevent the scissor arms  404 ,  414  and spring  402  from rotating fully during a slider transfer function. During a slider transfer function, only one of the scissor arms will rotate as they are both dependent on the travel direction of the sliders. During a typical transfer function, for example, a slider can act against a scissor arm, which in turn rotates and torques spring  402  as it acts against the other scissor arm. This scissor arm will be restricted from rotating as it acts against the abutment on the retention pin  408 . Once the transfer function is complete, the spring force will return the scissor arm and slider to a neutral position.  
         [0037]      FIG. 10  illustrates the lower half of latch assembly  200  incorporating a scissor spring  1202 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment.  FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of the scissor spring  1202  of  FIG. 10  mounted on a latch assembly, in accordance with a preferred embodiment.  FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of the scissor spring  1202  depicted in  FIGS. 10-11 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment.  FIG. 13  illustrates scissor spring actuation, in accordance with a preferred embodiment. Note that in  FIGS. 2 and 10 - 13 , identical or similar parts or elements are generally indicated by identical reference numerals. In  FIG. 13 , for example, scissor spring actuation is indicated generally by arrows  1302 ,  1304 ,  1306 ,  1308 ,  1310  and  1312 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 14  illustrates a one-piece scissor spring  1400 , which can be implemented in accordance with an alternative embodiment.  FIG. 15  illustrates a detailed view of a group of sliders  1410 ,  1412 ,  1414  that can be adapted for use with single piece scissor spring  1400 , which is independent of the control of slider actuation, in accordance with an alternative embodiment. Note that in  FIGS. 14-15 , identical or similar parts or elements are generally indicated by identical reference numerals. The one-piece scissor spring  1400  includes one or more spring fingers  1404 ,  1406 ,  1408 ,  1405  and so forth. Spring  1400  also includes a spring portion  1402 , which is generally rectangular in shape.  
         [0039]     Actuation of the one-piece scissor spring  1400  is generally indicated by arrows  1502 ,  1504 ,  1506 ,  1508  and  1510  in  FIG. 15 . The concept of a one-piece scissor spring  1400  was developed in order to aid in latch assembly production. Spring  1400  can, for example, be implemented as a stamped component with 2-off, 3-off or 6-off fingers (e.g., fingers  1404 ,  1406 ,  1408 ,  1405 , etc) to control the motion of sliders  1410 ,  1412  and/or  1414 . Such a stamped spring  1400  can clip into existing components within a latch assembly, such as, for example, latch assembly  200 , in order to gain retention.  
         [0040]     The various latch assemblies discussed herein, including components such as the one-piece scissor spring  1400 , can be utilized not only in the context of automobiles and vehicles, but can be utilized with any automotive latch system. Examples of such latching systems include aircraft engines and associated systems, propulsion systems, navigation systems, air force avionic systems, aerospace electronics, auxiliary power systems and aircraft landing systems. The one-piece scissor spring  1400  can, for example, be adapted for use with latch assemblies involving a single motor to effect a number of independent electrical actuations, such as, for example, central locking, super locking, selective locking, power/electrical door opening (passive opening) and/or power/electrical door closing (soft closing). Latch assemblies can be adapted for securing any type of closure (side doors, trunks, rear doors, sing or sliding doors, etc) and can be designed to fit into any type of vehicle.  
         [0041]     The embodiments and examples set forth herein are presented to best explain the present invention and its practical application and to thereby enable those skilled in the art to make and utilize the invention. Those skilled in the art, however, will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purpose of illustration and example only. Other variations and modifications of the present invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art, and it is the intent of the appended claims that such variations and modifications be covered.  
         [0042]     The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the invention. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching without departing from the scope of the following claims. It is contemplated that the use of the present invention can involve components having different characteristics. It is intended that the scope of the present invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.