Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch has a housing, a latch fork pivotal on the housing about a latch-fork axis, engageable in a latched position with a door bolt to retain same and lock the door, and having a latching surface offset from the latch-fork axis, a main latching lever pivotal on the housing adjacent the fork about a main-lever axis substantially parallel to the latch-fork axis, and a secondary latching lever pivotal on the main lever about a secondary-lever axis substantially parallel to the latch-fork axis and having an outer end formed with a surface engaging the latch-fork surface in the latched position. A pair of stops define for the latching levers in the latched position of the latch fork a normal position with the surface in surface contact and an actuated position with the surfaces only in line contact. Thus to open the door the main lever is pivoted from the normal position to the actuated position and thereafter the latching-lever surface is slid off the latch-fork surface.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch for securing together two relatively movable body parts has a housing mounted on one of the parts, a bolt mounted on the other part and engageable in the housing, a fork pivotal in the housing between a latched position engaging around the bolt when therein and an unlatched position permitting the bolt to enter and exit the housing, and a pawl pivotal in the housing between a holding position retaining the fork in the latched position and a freeing position permitting the fork to move between its positions. A release lever engageable with the pawl is pivotal in the housing between a holding position holding the pawl in its freeing position and a freeing position in which it does not impede movement of the pawl between its positions. A position-holding element engageable in the housing with the lever is movable between a blocking position preventing movement of the lever out of the freeing position and an unblocking position permitting movement of the lever between its positions.

Abstract: A latch for a motor-vehicle door comprises a housing, a door bolt engageable in and separable from the housing, a pivotal lock fork in the housing engageable around the bolt, and a release lever operatively coupled to the lock fork. Inside and outside latching elements respectively accessible and actuatable from inside and outside the door can each displace a common latching lever pivotal in the housing between a latched position and an unlatched position. Inside and outside locking elements respectively accessible and actuatable from inside and outside the door can similarly displace a common locking lever pivotal in the housing between a locked and an unlocked position. A coupling element connected to the locking lever is displaceable thereby between coupling and uncoupling positions respectively corresponding to the unlocked and locked positions of the locking lever.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch for use on a vehicle door having a handle and a locking element has a housing, a latch fork pivotal on the housing and engageable in a locking position with a door bolt to retain same and lock the door, an operating lever pivoted on the housing and connected to the handle, a locking lever pivoted on the housing and connected to the respective locking element, and an actuating lever operatively engageable with the fork to release same from the locking position. A link coupled to the locking lever is displaceable thereby between a position coupling the operating lever to the actuating lever for displacement of the fork out of the locking position by actuation of the operating lever and a position decoupling the operating lever from the actuating lever. Thus in the decoupling position actuation of the operating lever will not unlock the door.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch for mounting on a door closable inward against a body part has a latch element fixed on the part and displaceable into and out of a latch housing and a latch fork pivotal on the housing. This fork is pivoted into a closed position on inward displacement of the latch element into the housing and the latch fork has an inwardly directed face bearing inward against the latch element in the closed position with the latch element in the housing. A latch pawl is pivotally engageable with the fork in a holding position to retain same in the closed position. The latch pawl can be pivoted out of contact with the fork to release same and allow the door to open. A blocking member in the housing has an outwardly directed face and is displaceable in the housing between a blocking position with the blocking face confronting and relatively closely juxtaposed with the fork face and an unblocking position with the blocking face spaced more remotely from the fork face.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch for mounting in a door having an outside panel has a housing fixed in the door, a latching fork pivotal in the housing, and a latching pawl pivotal in the housing and engageable with the fork. An outside door handle is displaceable on the outside door panel between an outer actuating position and an inner rest position. A linkage includes an outside-handle lever coupled to the outside door handle and movable thereby, a latch lever pivoted on the outside-handle lever and engageable with the pawl to operate same and release the fork, and a releasable coupler including a bolt for coupling the outside-handle and latch levers together for joint pivoting and for decoupling them for relative pivoting. Thus when these levers are decoupled the outside-handle lever can move between an operating position and an installation position.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle latch has an actuating lever displaceable between a position in which a respective door of the vehicle is locked and a position in which the respective door is unlocked. A locking knob connected to the lever is accessible from inside the vehicle to displace the lever between its positions. The actuator has a housing mounted directly on the door latch and formed with at least one longitudinally directed abutment face, a motor in the housing, a nut longitudinally displaceable in the housing by the motor between unlocked, locked, and antitheft positions, and a slide in the housing movable by the nut between locked and unlocked positions and formed with a recess receiving a portion projecting from the lever. At least one flexible arm extends longitudinally from the slide and has a head formed with a face directed longitudinally opposite the abutment face of the housing.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch for use on a vehicle door having inside and outside handles and inside and outside locking elements has a first housing part that contains a latch fork engageable in a locking position with a door bolt to retain same and lock the door, a lock pawl engageable in a retaining position with the fork to retain same in the locking position, an outside operating lever connected to the outside handle, an outside locking lever connected to the outside locking element, and an unlocking lever connected to the outside locking lever and operable to unlock the door. A second housing part contains an inside operating lever connected to the inside handle, an inside locking lever connected to the inside locking element, a coupling device pivoted coaxially with the inside locking lever and having one arm connected to the unlocking lever of the first housing part and another arm, and a central actuating unit.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door latch for use on a vehicle door having inside and outside handles and inside and outside locking elements has a housing, a latch fork pivotal on the housing and engageable in a locking position with a door bolt to retain same and lock the door, inside and outside operating levers pivoted on the housing and connected to the respective handles, and inside and outside locking levers pivoted on the housing and connected to the respective locking elements. An actuating lever operatively engageable with the fork can release same from the locking position and a link coupled to the locking levers is displaceable thereby between a position coupling the outside operating lever to the actuating lever for displacement of the fork out of the locking position by actuation of the outside operating lever and a position decoupling the outside operating lever from the actuating lever. Thus in the decoupling position actuation of the outside operating lever will not unlock the door.

Abstract: A safety system used in combination with a vehicular power door latch has a mechanism operated by a motor in turn driven by a drive apparatus for opening and closing vehicle door. The safety system comprises a vehicle speed sensor generating an output when vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined limit, a counter startable when the motor is actuated, and a controller connected between the speed sensor and the counter and to the apparatus for shutting down the apparatus and thereby deenergizing the motor when the vehicle-speed output exceeds the limit and when the counter has counted since the motor started beyond a predetermined limit.

Abstract: A power actuator used with a door latch has a housing fixed adjacent the latch and a slide linked to the latch and displaceable along an axis in the housing between locked and unlocked positions respectively corresponding to the locked and unlocked conditions of the latch. This slide is formed with a radially elastically deflectable entrainment formation and with a crosspiece. An axial spindle carries a nut engageable with the entrainment formation and the crosspiece of the slide. A radially elastically deflectable locking dog axially fixed to the slide is also engageable with the nut and the housing is formed with a radially inwardly open recess in which the dog is engageable only in the locked position of the slide. An electric motor can rotate the spindle and thereby displace the nut from an antitheft end position through an intermediate position and into an end locked position.

Abstract: A standard power-type motor-vehicle latch assembly comprises a door latch having an actuating lever displaceable between a position in which a respective door of the vehicle is locked and a position in which the respective door is unlocked, a locking knob connected to the lever and accessible from inside the vehicle to displace the lever between its positions, a power actuator having a housing, a motor in the housing, and an actuating element movable by the motor between a pair of positions, and a linkage interconnecting the element with the lever for operation of the latter by the former. The actuator housing is mounted directly on the door latch and the level is integrally formed with an actuating arm having an end projecting from the latch into the actuator housing and forming part of the linkage. The element is formed with a seat receiving the arm end and also forming part of the linkage.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle door-latch assembly for securing a door to a doorpost invention has a latch fork pivoted on the door, a support mounted on a doorpost, and a bolt projecting from the support and engageable by the fork to retain the door against the doorpost. An electric switch mounted on the support adjacent the bolt is operated by an actuating element engageable by the fork on closing of the door to actuate the switch. Thus the switch can be tucked out of the way inside the post-mounted bolt assembly where it is not exposed to the elements. In addition according to this invention the fork has a curved camming edge which slides over the actuating element. As a result the switch is actuated gently even if the door is slammed, since the camming edge, which typically extends as a spiral centered on the rotation axis of the fork, can reduce a substantial travel of the door to a small travel of the actuating element.

Abstract: A standard motor-vehicle door latch includes a latch housing adapted to be secured to a motor-vehicle door adjacent an edge thereof that is substantially only exposed when the door is open, an opening lever adapted to be coupled to an inside door handle and pivoted on the housing, and door opening mechanism on the housing actuatable by the lever to unlatch the door. A child-safety cutout comprises a shaft pivotal in the housing between a freeing position and a locking position and having an outer end exposed through the housing at the door edge and an inner end and an element on the inner end operatively engageable with the opening lever for preventing actuation of the door-opening mechanism by the opening lever in the locking position and for permitting such actuation in the freeing position.

Abstract: A motor-vehicle latch assembly comprises a locking bolt secured to a doorpost, a mounting plate secured to a door and provided with a pivot and formed therearound with a bearing surface, a locking fork formed with a pivot hole fitted over the pivot, having a side directly confronting the bearing surface, and engageable with the bolt on closing of the door, and an elastomeric cladding covering the fork including the interior of the hole in contact with the bolt and the side of the bolt in contact with the bearing surface. The cladding engages the bearing surface and eliminates play and metal-to-metal contact at this region.

Abstract: The door-lock system for a motor vehicle has mechanical motor vehicle door locks in all motor vehicle doors and the trunk lid, a mechanical lock cylinder in the motor vehicle door lock of the driver's door and a remotely operable electronic operating mechanism with a transmitter acting as an electronic key, a receiver and decoder as well as a power supply. The motor vehicle door locks in the doors have at least one locked configuration and an additional theft preventative configuration as well as a central lock mechanism drive with control positions for engagement and/or disengagement of the theft preventative configuration. The central lock mechanism drive is operable by the electronic operating mechanism. The decoder and the receiver of the electronic operating mechanism are independent components which are connected only electrically. The receiver is located otside, e.g. in the driver's door, and only operates from the outside by a transmitter.

Abstract: A vehicle door latch for use in combination with a door bolt according to this invention has a housing formed with a horizontally open recess in which the bolt is receivable, a latch fork formed with a fork seat and with at least one detent, and a fork pivot on the housing supporting the fork for pivoting between a locked and a semilocked position with the seat directed vertically away from the fork pivot and the bolt engaged in the seat and an unlocked position permitting the bolt to enter and exit seat and recess. An operating plate pivotal on the housing about an axis substantially parallel to the fork pivot carries the pivot of latch pawl which is pivotal on the link plate into and out of a position engaging the detent and thereby retaining the fork in the semilocked position. A motor connected to the operating plate can pivot same about its axis and, when the pawl is engaged with the detent, pivot and fork into the locked position.

Abstract: A bolt assembly for a motor-vehicle latch wherein the assembly is secured to a doorpost and coacts with a latch fork according to the invention has a metallic U-shaped yoke having an inner flange adapted to be secured to the doorpost and an outer flange spaced therefrom, forming a fork-receiving space therewith, and having an outer surface turned away from the inner flange. A metallic bolt is fixed to the two flanges and extends generally perpendicularly therebetween. A nonmetallic resilient sleeve surrounds the bolt between the flanges and a nonmetallic cover overlies at least the outer surface of the outer flange.

Abstract: A vehicle door latch for use in combination with a door bolt has a housing formed with a horizontally open recess in which the bolt is receivable, a latch fork formed with a fork seat, and a fork pivot to one vertical side of the recess on the housing supporting the fork for pivoting between a locked position with the seal directed vertically away from the fork pivot and the bolt engaged in the seat and an unlocked position permitting the bolt to enter and exit seat and recess. A latch pawl is pivotal on the housing into and out of a position retaining the fork in the locked position. A retaining dog formed with a dog seat is carried on a dog pivot to the vertical side of the recess on the housing opposite the fork pivot for pivoting between a retaining position with the dog seat directed vertically away from the dog pivot and the bolt engaged in the dog seat as well as in the fork seat, and a freeing position permitting the bolt to enter and exit the recess.

Abstract: A security system has a key including a transmitter for emitting a coded signal and a receiver for the signal and connected to a latch of the vehicle for unlocking a door secured by the latch only when the coded signal is received. A column bolt is displaceable in a housing fixed around the steering column between a locking position preventing the column from rotating and a freeing position. A barrel rotatable in the housing is formed with an axially open pocket generally complementary to the key. A switch is actuatable in one end position of the barrel for starting the vehicle and a locking pin is displaceable in the barrel and engageable into the pocket and into a lateral recess of the key when same is fitted in the pocket. A lever can engage in the recess of the barrel in the other of the end positions and can also engage in this other end position with the pin to push same into the pocket and into the recess of the key therein.