Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Venky Krishnan

Kosta Papanikolaou

James Joseph Loschiavo

Marcus Edward Merideth

Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam

Kelly Michael Kohlstrand

Bhupendra A Patel

Cort C Corwin

Jeff Stokes

Jerry P Bonnici

Bhupandra Patel

A latch system for a door of a vehicle including a latch assembly having a catch and a pawl, an actuatable inside handle, and an actuator engaged with the pawl and being configured to be activated by actuation of the inside handle. The catch is configured to be moved to an open position by activating the actuator to thereby move the pawl to stop the pawl from maintaining the catch in the closed position. The catch is also configured to be moved to the open position after actuation of the inside handle or a toggle lever to stop the pawl from maintaining the catch in the closed position to when the vehicle does not have power.

Universal global latch system

A latch system for a door of a vehicle a latch assembly having a catch and a pawl, an actuatable inside handle, a linkage assembly mechanically linked between the inside handle and the latch assembly, and an actuator interconnected to the pawl and being configured to be activated by actuation of the inside handle. The catch is configured to be moved to the open position by activating the actuator to thereby move the pawl to stop the pawl from maintaining the catch in the closed position or by actuating the inside handle when the vehicle has power. The catch is also configured to be moved to the open position after actuation of the inside handle by having the inside handle mechanically move the linkage assembly to stop the pawl from maintaining the catch in the closed position when the vehicle does not have power.

Latch mechanism

A latch system for a door of a vehicle including a latch assembly having a catch and a pawl, an actuatable inside handle, and an actuator engaged with the pawl and being configured to be activated by actuation of the inside handle. The catch is configured to be moved to an open position by activating the actuator to thereby move the pawl to stop the pawl from maintaining the catch in the closed position. The catch is also configured to be moved to the open position after actuation of the inside handle by having the inside handle mechanically move the toggle lever to stop the pawl from maintaining the catch in the closed position to when the vehicle does not have power.

A door handle assembly includes a door handle that engages a bell crank to actuate a door release latch. A locking member moves relative to the bell crank, and shifts to a locked position wherein the locking member engages an engagement member to prevent rotation of the bell crank when the door handle assembly experiences an inertial force due to an impact or the like.

Vehicle door handle with inertia lock mechanism

A multi-functional switch assembly for a vehicle interior is provided. In at least one embodiment, the switch assembly includes a switch base having a guide with a longitudinal axis and a transverse beam member; and a switch body mounted to the guide of the switch base for limited translation along the longitudinal axis between a rest position and a transient position, wherein at the rest position, the switch body is pivotal about the transverse beam member between a first and a second transverse positions, wherein the rest and the transient positions are translatable to a first set of operative functions, wherein the first and the second transverse positions are translatable to a second set of operative functions.

Multi-functional switch assembly

A vehicle passive entry side door latch release system engageable with a release cable connected a door latch includes a moveable linkage assembly engageable with the cable, and a motor including an output shaft engaged with a tensioning gear for driving a ratcheting gearwheel rotatably affixed to a coil spring, with the gearwheel including external teeth engageable with a rack affixed to the linkage to move the cable to unlatch the door latch. A pivotable ratcheting pawl may be engageable with the gearwheel to allow or prevent rotation of the gearwheel. Operation of the motor may drive the gear to drive the gearwheel in a rotary direction to energize the spring, and disengagement of the pawl from the gearwheel may allow stored energy in the spring to drive the gearwheel in an opposite rotary direction to thereby drive the rack to move the cable to unlatch the door latch.

Passive entry side door latch release system

A blocking apparatus is cooperable with the latch lever of a vehicle door latching mechanism to prevent the latch lever from moving during a crash event, which prevents the latching mechanism from allowing the vehicle door to open. The blocking apparatus includes a housing supporting a linearly movable plunger engagable with a cam surface on the latch lever and a blocking member pivotally mounted for movement between a normal position and a blocking position. The blocking member moves into the blocking position due to the imposition of crash forces on the blocking member during a crash event. A centering spring mechanism biases the blocking member into the normal position and can return the blocking member into the normal position to permit movement of the latch lever after the crash event has occurred. The plunger is biased into engagement with the latch lever so as to move with the cam surface.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Venky Krishnan