Patent ID: 8128135

Claim:
A lock device for a vehicle comprising: a base plate including an entrance/retracting groove that receives a striker or from which a striker is retracted; a latch pivotally supported on the base plate via a latch axis, the latch having a lock groove that engages with or disengages from the striker entering the entrance/retracting groove, the latch being rotatable about the latch axis, via movement of the striker, between a lock release position, in which the striker enters into the entrance/retracting groove and a lock position, in which the striker is held in the entrance/retracting groove; a pawl rotationally supported on the base plate via a pawl axis that is separate from the latch axis, the pawl keeping the latch in a releasable position to allow the latch to return to the lock release position in a rotational range of the latch from the lock release position to the lock position, and the pawl preventing the latch from returning to the lock release position by engaging with the latch by rotating the pawl about the pawl axis to a release preventing position after the latch has been rotated to the lock position; a rotation lever rotationally supported on the base plate coaxially with the pawl axis; a rotation plate rotationally supported on the base plate coaxially with the latch axis, the rotation plate being configured to be rotated in a same direction as a first rotational direction of the latch towards the lock position to engage with the rotation lever upon the pawl being rotated from the release preventing position to the releasable position; a thrust plate having an inclined cam surface extending in a direction transverse to a striker entering direction adjacent a bottom surface of the entrance/retracting groove, the thrust plate being supported on the base plate via a guide portion provided on the base plate, the inclined cam surface being moved into the entrance/retracting groove via connecting the thrust plate with the guide portion provided on the base plate to secure the striker between the inclined cam surface and the latch; first biasing means for biasing the latch in a second rotational direction to the lock release position and for biasing the pawl in a third rotational direction towards the release preventing position; and second biasing means for biasing the rotation plate in the second rotational direction towards the lock release position of the latch.