Abstract:
The present invention relates to a trunk lid latch assembly for a vehicle that includes a valet parking switch. A trunk lid switch in the vehicle&#39;s interior operates a gear that releases a latch to unlock the trunk lid. The valet parking switch is positioned such that when it is in the off position, it engages the gear with the latch, allowing the latch to be released. When the valet parking switch is in the on position, it is disengaged with the gear so that, even if a trunk lid switch is operated, the latch does not release to unlock the trunk.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/885,179, filed Jul. 6, 2004, which claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2003-0071511, filed on Oct. 14, 2003, and also claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2004-0022157, filed on Mar. 31, 2004, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a trunk lid latch assembly including a switch for valet parking, and in particular to a trunk lid latch assembly for a vehicle that turns a valet parking switch on and off via a mechanical mechanism.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Valet parking is a professional parking service provided to customers as a courtesy establishments such as hotels and luxury restaurants, whereby staff at the establishment parks customers&#39; cars during the customers&#39; stays at the establishment. To prevent robbery of valuables left in the trunk during the valet service, a valet parking switch is provided in a vehicle. When a car is parked by a valet, a valet parking switch is turned on, thereby preventing the trunk lid from opening.  
         [0004]     Generally, a trunk lid latch assembly equipped with a valet parking switch is locked or unlocked by a motor operated by a trunk lid switch, or by a release rod operated by a vehicle key. During valet parking, when a motor intermittent switch is on, power is disconnected from the motor so that the latch assembly cannot be unlocked even by operating the trunk lid switch. Therefore, the trunk lid cannot be opened by using the trunk lid switch alone and can only be opened by using the vehicle key. Of course, the vehicle key is kept by the valet staff providing the valet parking, and is a sub-key that is not capable of opening the trunk lid.  
         [0005]     In a vehicle equipped with a trunk lid latch assembly with a valet parking switch, a motor intermittent switch for valet parking is usually installed in the interior of the vehicle (e.g., the glove box). In this case, wiring is needed control the motor intermittent switch. The wiring, however, may experience a short circuit or other operational problem, including those due to the defects of the valet parking switch. The workability then drastically deteriorates because of the wiring. Additionally, there may be various disadvantages in weight and fabrication costs.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention provides a trunk lid latch assembly for a vehicle that is capable of overcoming the problems encountered in the conventional art. The present invention provides a latch assembly with a novel locking/unlocking system that includes a valet parking switch operated by a mechanical mechanism. This removes the requirement of the traditional motor intermittent switch and the accompanying wiring, which consequently results in a trunk lid latch assembly for a vehicle that does not experience defects or operational problems due to wiring short circuits or abnormal operations of a switch. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     The aforementioned aspects and other features of the present invention will be explained in the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front view illustrating a locked state of a trunk lid latch assembly according to the present invention when a valet parking switch is off;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a rear view of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front view illustrating an unlocked state of a trunk lid latch assembly according to the present invention when a valet parking switch is off;  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a rear view of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 5  is a front view illustrating a locked state of a trunk lid latch assembly according to the present invention when a valet parking switch is on;  
         [0013]      FIG. 6  is a rear view of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 7  is a front view illustrating an unlocked state of a trunk lid latch assembly according to the present invention when a valet parking switch is on;  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is a rear view of  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating an assembled state of a valet parking switch in a trunk lid latch assembly according to the present invention; and  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating a disassembled state of a valet parking switch in a trunk lid latch assembly according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]     The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0019]     As shown in  FIGS. 1 through 8 , a motor  10  having a gear shaft  30  is installed in an upper side of a plate  21  that operates as a base. A gear  12  engaged with gear shaft  30  is installed in a lower side of the same. An open lever  14  is pulled by a release rod  13  and is rotated with respect to a central shaft. When operating a trunk lid switch (not shown) provided in the interior of a vehicle, motor  10  rotates gear  12 . In addition, open lever  14  can be rotated by release rod  13  by using the vehicle key.  
         [0020]     A pole guide  16  is extended within the operation range of open lever  14  wherein pole guide  16  is rotatable with respect to a hinge shaft  15  in a lower side of plate  21 . A pole  17  having a shoulder portion  19  for catching a latch  20  is provided in a front surface of a lower side of pole guide  16 . A valet parking switch  18  extended within an operation range of the gear is engaged to a front surface of the upper side of pole guide  16 . Latch  20  is rotatably installed on plate  21  near pole  17 . Latch  21  locks or unlocks a striker (not shown) when the striker moves into a notch in the lower side of plate  21 . Thusly, pole guide  16 , valet parking switch  18 , and pole  17  are rotated by the rotation of open lever  14 . Alternatively, pole guide  16  contacts a form part  11  based on the rotation of gear  12 , and pole guide  16 , valet parking switch  18 , and pole  17  may be rotated by form part  11  on gear  12 .  
         [0021]     Pole guide  16 , valet parking switch  18 , pole  17 , and latch  20  are elastically supported by a spring (not shown), respectively, in one direction, so that pole guide  16  and latch  20  may return to their original positions when an operational force is removed.  
         [0022]      FIGS. 9 and 10  show rotatable engaging structures of valet parking switch  18 . A rotation center shaft  22  is formed on a rear surface of valet parking switch  18 , such that valet parking switch  18  is rotated with respect to shaft  22 , and is capable of tilting at a certain angle before subsequently returning to its original position.  
         [0023]     Here, valet parking switch  18  may be connected to pole guide  16  by inserting rotation center shaft  22  into a hole  29  formed in pole guide  16 . The structure that engages rotation center shaft  22  to hole  29  may be implemented in various ways. A one touch clip type implementation may be adapted using a protrusion  28  formed in a surrounding surface of rotation center shaft  22  such that protrusion  28  secures rotation center shaft  22  in hole  29  when rotation center shaft  22  snaps into hole  29 .  
         [0024]     Valet parking switch  18  is capable of tilting at a certain angle before subsequently returning to its original position. For example, a ball part  23  is formed near rotation center shaft  22  on the back surface of valet parking switch  18 . At least two engaging grooves  24  are formed in a surrounding portion of hole  29  on the front surface of pole guide  16 , so that ball part  23  may be mounted in one of the at least two engaging grooves  24 . One mounting position may be set as a tilting position and the other a returning position. A guide groove  26  having a certain section is formed in a lateral surface of valet parking switch  18 . A stopper  25  that fits within guide groove  26  is formed on a front surface of pole guide  16  so that the rotation of valet parking switch  18  is limited to two tilting and returning positions.  
         [0025]     A lever part  27  extending longitudinally is provided in valet parking switch  18 , thereby enabling valet parking switch  18  to be manually operated. An extension part  31  is provided in an upper portion of valet parking switch  18 , and contacts form part  11  of gear  12 .  
         [0026]     The operation of the latch assembly according to the present invention will now be described.  
         [0027]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show the locked state (trunk lid is locked) when valet parking switch  18  is off. Valet parking switch  18  is positioned at the returning position in which it is tilted in the left direction such that extension part  31  is positioned along the arc of operation of form part  11  of gear  12 .  
         [0028]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show the unlocking of the trunk lid when either the vehicle key or trunk lid switch is utilized to open the trunk. When the vehicle key is operated to open the trunk lid, release rod  13  rotatably pulls open lever  14 , which in turn pushes pole guide  16  so that pole guide  16  is tilted in the left direction. Or, when the trunk lid switch is used to open the trunk, motor  10  operates on gear shaft  30 , which engages gear  12  such that form part  11  on gear  12  pushes extension part  31  of valet parking switch  18  so that valet parking switch  18  is tilted in the left direction. Since valet parking switch  18  is engaged with pole guide  16  via rotation center shaft  22 , when valet parking switch  18  tilts leftward, pole guide  16  also tilts leftward. The leftward tilt of pole guide  16  (in either cases wherein the vehicle key or the trunk lid switch is utilized) releases latch  20  and disengages latch  20  from the striker, thereby opening the trunk lid.  
         [0029]      FIGS. 5 and 6  show a locked state when valet parking switch  18  is on. In this state, valet parking switch  18  is tilted in the right direction, positioning extension part  31  out of the arc of operation of form part  11  of gear  12 . Now, even when motor  10  is operated by operating the trunk lid switch provided in the interior of the vehicle, no interaction occurs between gear  12  and valet parking switch  18 , making it impossible to open the trunk lid with the trunk lid switch.  
         [0030]      FIGS. 7 and 8  show an unlocked state when valet parking switch  18  is on. When the vehicle key (not the sub-key) is inserted and operated, release rod  13  operates on open lever  14  to push pole guide  16 , which in turn pushes pole  17 . Pole  17  then releases latch  20 , thus releasing the striker that latch  20  was catching.  
         [0031]     As described above, the present invention provides a new locking and unlocking type latch assembly including a manually operated valet parking switch that does not utilize any conventional electrical parts. The absence of electrical parts prevents the defects and operational errors traditionally caused by wiring short circuits and switch errors. Additionally, the present invention overcomes workability problems related with wiring work, etc. Further, the total weight and fabrication costs are reduced compared to the conventional art in which many electrical parts are employed.  
         [0032]     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific examples to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to these examples. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Thus, the foregoing disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.  
         [0033]     It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.