Latch structure

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6695361
  • Patent Number
    6,695,361
  • Date Filed
    Friday, March 30, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, February 24, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
The latch assembly of the present invention is adapted for use on motor vehicles, such as agricultural and construction vehicles, recreation vehicles, utility and emergency vehicles, and heavy-duty trucks. The latch assembly includes a housing with a rotor and catch rotatably mounted therein for movement between open and closed positions for releasing and retaining a striker bolt on the door. Holes in the housing allow the housing to be mounted either internally or externally to the door frame. The rotor and catch are impregnated with a lubricant to minimize friction and extend the life of the latch assembly. A grease block is also provided within the housing to inhibit entry of contaminants, such as dirt, water, and the like, so as to further extend the life of the latch assembly.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention generally relates to a latch assembly for motor vehicles, particularly large trucks, recreational vehicles, utility and emergency vehicles, buses and heavy-duty equipment, such as construction vehicles and agricultural vehicles. Latches typically have a rotor and catch pivotally mounted in a housing so as to move between lock and unlocked positions to retain and release, respectfully, a striker bolt on the door. Conventional latches are designed for either an internal or an external mounting on the door frame. However, a universal latch, which can be mounted either internally or externally, has not been available.




The latch must be lubricated to reduce frictional wear on the moving components, particularly the rotor and the catch. Absent proper lubrication, the rotor and/or catch are subject to a reduced life expectancy. For example, the rotor and catch typically are coated with a lubricant but such lubricant eventually wears away or becomes contaminated with foreign particles, such as dirt, which hastens wear on the rotor and catch.




Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is an improved latch assembly for motor vehicles.




Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a latch assembly which can be mounted with internally and externally upon a door frame.




Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an approved latch assembly wherein the rotor and catch are impregnated with a lubricant to minimize friction.




A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a motor vehicle latch having an improved grease block to minimize entry of the contaminants into the latch.




Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved latch assembly which is economical to manufacture and durable in use.




These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The latch assembly of the present invention includes a housing with a rotor and a catch rotatably mounted in the housing. The rotor and catch are pivotal between a locked position to retain a striker bolt on the vehicle frame surrounding the door and an open position to release the striker bolt. The housing includes a plurality of apertures to permit both internal and external mounting of the latch assembly to a door frame. The rotor and catch are impregnated with a lubricant to reduce wear on the latch assembly. A grease block resides within the housing and over the rotor and catch so as to minimize exposure of the rotor and catch to contaminants, and so as to preserve a lubricant coating provided on the rotor and catch.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded perspective view of the latch assembly of the present invention.





FIG. 2

is a top plan view of the assembled latch, with the grease block and top housing plate removed for clarity.





FIG. 3

is a bottom plan view of the assembled latch.





FIG. 4

is a partially exploded side elevation view of the latch assembly showing an external mounting.





FIG. 5

is a partially exploded side elevation view of the latch assembly showing an internal mounting.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The latch assembly of the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral


10


in the drawings. The latch assembly


10


includes a rotor


12


and a catch


14


pivotally mounted in a housing defined by a pair of housing plates


16


,


18


.




More particularly, the rotor


12


is mounted on an axle bearing


20


and the catch


14


is mounted on an axle bearing


22


. A rotor spring


24


is mounted on one end of the axle


20


, and a catch spring


26


is mounted on one end of the catch axle


22


.




Preferably, the rotor


12


and catch


14


are impregnated with a lubricant, such as Gulf Lube, which is a thixotropic lubricant combined with selected thickeners, oxidation and corrosion inhibitors, and other additives. The Gulf Lube product is water-resistant and has low torque and low shear characteristics. The rotor


12


and catch


14


are also coated with the lubricant, such as grease. A grease housing or block


28


is provided between the housing plates


16


,


18


to retain the grease within the housing, and to inhibit the entry of contaminants, such as moisture, dirt, and other particles, from the rotor


12


and catch


14


.




The housing plates


16


,


18


are secured together by the axles


22


,


24


, and similar bearings


30


,


31


. The axles


20


,


22


and bearings


30


,


31


each include an enlarged flange


32


at the opposite ends, and a reduced diameter portion


34


adjacent the flanges


32


. The housing plates


16


,


18


include a plurality of apertures


36


,


38


, respectively. The grease block


28


also has a plurality of holes


40


. The axles


20


,


22


and bearings


30


,


31


extend through the aligned holes


36


,


38


and


40


in the housing plates


16


,


18


and the grease block


28


. The diameter of the reduced diameter portion


34


is slightly smaller than the diameter of the holes


36


,


38


in the housing plates


16


,


18


. In assembling the housing plates


16


,


18


, the axles


20


,


22


are mechanically staked or wedged to secure the plates


16


,


18


together.




The housing plate


16


includes a main body


42


, a pair of up-turned legs


44


, and a pair of out-turned arms


46


. The arms


46


include holes


48


adapted to receive a bolt or screw


50


to externally mount the latch assembly


10


to a door frame


52


, as shown in FIG.


4


.




At least some of the axles


20


,


22


and bearings


30


,


31


are internally threaded so as to be adapted to receive a bolt or screw


54


so that the latch assembly can be internally mounted to a door frame


56


, as shown in FIG.


5


.




The rotor spring


24


lies around the rotor axle


20


, and includes a leg


58


captured in a groove


60


in the rotor


12


. The rotor spring


24


includes an opposite leg


62


which engages the upper left-hand bearing


30


, as seen in FIG.


2


. The rotor spring


24


functions to eject the rotor


12


to the open position when released from the catch


14


. The catch spring


26


includes a leg


64


received in a groove


66


in the catch


14


, and an opposite leg


68


engaging the upper right hand bearing


31


, as seen in FIG.


2


. The catch spring


26


functions to return the catch


16


to the locked position.




The overall thickness of the latch assembly


10


allows the assembly to have a great amount of door clearance when externally mounted. The latch assembly


10


allows for door racking in the positive Y direction, thereby assisting a reduction of door aperture and hinge stress.




Preferably, the housing plates


16


,


18


are made of steel, with a zinc yellow chromate finish to provide corrosion resistance. The rotor


12


and catch


14


are preferably manufactured from high density powdered metal material, with a zinc yellow chromate coating finish, so as to provide maximum strength versus weight, reduced co-efficient of friction, increased resistance to wear, and increased resistance to corrosion. The axles


22


,


24


are preferably manufactured from a high strength, machinable steel, with a zinc yellow chromate finish. The grease block


28


is preferably manufactured from engineered plastic, since it is a non-load-bearing component. The springs


24


,


26


are preferably manufactured from stainless steel spring wire to provide resistance to corrosion.




The latch assembly


10


includes a rotor pin


70


which is pressed into a hole


72


, and serves as an interface component with a logic assembly (not shown). The pin


70


functions with structure in the logic assembly to preclude locking of the door when the rotor


12


and catch


14


are in the open position.




The latch of the present invention meets all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for transverse and longitudinal loads.




The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.



Claims
  • 1. A latch assembly for motor vehicles having a personnel door for entry into and exit from a vehicle by a person, the door having a perimeter frame, comprising:a housing; a rotor rotatably mounted in the housing; a catch rotatably mounted in the housing; the rotor and catch being pivotal between a locked position to retain a striker bolt on the door and an open position to release the striker bolt; the housing including a first set of apertures for mounting the assembly internally to the door frame; the housing including a second set of apertures for mounting the assembly externally to the door frame; and the apertures of the first and second sets being axially offset from one another; with the first set of apertures located in between the second set of apertures.
  • 2. The latch of claim 1 wherein the assembly includes a first plurality of internally threaded apertures for mounting the assembly internally to the door frame.
  • 3. The latch of claim 1 further including a rotor axle and catch axle mounted in the housing and upon the rotor and catch are mounted, respectively.
  • 4. The latch of claim 3 wherein the axles are hollow with internal threads defining the first apertures for mounting the assembly internally to the door frame.
  • 5. The latch of claim 1 wherein the housing includes first and second plates secured together.
  • 6. The latch of claim 5 wherein the housing plates are staked together by a plurality of axles.
  • 7. The latch of claim 5 wherein the first set of apertures extend through the first and second plates for mounting the assembly internally to the door frame.
  • 8. The latch of claim 5 wherein the first plate has opposite side flanges, with the second apertures being in the flanges for mounting the assembly externally to the door frame.
  • 9. The latch of claim 1 wherein the rotor and catch are impregnated with a lubricant.
  • 10. The latch of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a grease block to retain grease applied to the rotor and catch.
US Referenced Citations (34)
Number Name Date Kind
4049305 Zetterlund et al. Sep 1977 A
4131002 Gianelo Dec 1978 A
4268077 Bohleen et al. May 1981 A
4420954 Hieronymi et al. Dec 1983 A
4438964 Peters Mar 1984 A
4494783 Poe Jan 1985 A
4588219 Kobayashi et al. May 1986 A
4703963 Ball Nov 1987 A
4743052 Stammreich et al. May 1988 A
4756563 Garwood et al. Jul 1988 A
D303618 Russell et al. Sep 1989 S
4882919 Craig Nov 1989 A
4889373 Ward et al. Dec 1989 A
5174619 Bender et al. Dec 1992 A
5248175 Burns Sep 1993 A
5265450 Doyle Nov 1993 A
5295374 Bender et al. Mar 1994 A
5328219 Konchan et al. Jul 1994 A
5355554 Magoon Oct 1994 A
5570915 Asadurian Nov 1996 A
5611224 Weinerman et al. Mar 1997 A
5636880 Miller et al. Jun 1997 A
5678869 Yoshikuwa Oct 1997 A
5689980 Weinerman et al. Nov 1997 A
5746457 Kim May 1998 A
5746458 Fisher May 1998 A
5820174 Parikh et al. Oct 1998 A
5855130 Rorabacher et al. Jan 1999 A
5875948 Sadler Mar 1999 A
5941104 Sadler Aug 1999 A
5983682 Parikh Nov 1999 A
6053543 Arabia et al. Apr 2000 A
6280592 Mastrofrancesco et al. Aug 2001 B1
6463773 Dimig Oct 2002 B1
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number Date Country
41 00 524 A 1 Jul 1991 DE
0 331 832 Sep 1989 EP
1 039 079 Sep 2000 EP
2 325 002 Jun 2000 GB