US 12,221,817 B2
Door latch assembly
Dylan Mandelbaum, Mountain View, CA (US); Siddharthan Selvasekar, Livermore, CA (US); Sydney Puckett, Oak Park, MI (US); Andres Almeida Senatore, San Jose, CA (US); and Michael Steven Medoro, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Aug. 26, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/003,225.
Prior Publication US 2022/0065007 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. E05C 1/16 (2006.01); B60R 7/04 (2006.01); E05B 83/28 (2014.01); E05B 83/32 (2014.01); E05B 85/22 (2014.01); E05C 1/00 (2006.01); E05C 9/04 (2006.01)
CPC E05C 1/166 (2013.01) [E05B 83/28 (2013.01); E05B 83/32 (2013.01); E05B 85/22 (2013.01); E05C 1/006 (2013.01); E05C 9/04 (2013.01); B60R 7/04 (2013.01); E05Y 2201/686 (2013.01); E05Y 2600/46 (2013.01); E05Y 2900/538 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A door latch assembly, comprising:
a door operable between open and closed positions;
a housing coupled to the door; and
a latch feature coupled to the housing and operable, if the door is in the closed position, between an engaged condition, wherein the latch feature is engaged with a receiver to retain the door in the closed position, and a disengaged condition, the door being pivotably coupled to a center console of a vehicle and configured to provide access to a receptacle of the center console in the open position, wherein the receiver is coupled to the center console, the latch feature comprising:
an input body operably coupled to the housing and movable between first and second positions relative to the housing, wherein movement of the input body between the first and second positions is constrained to generally linear movement by the housing; and
an output body coupled to the input body by at least one pivot member configured to pivot to allow the output body to move toward the input body from an outboard position to an inboard position as the input body moves from the first position to the second position, wherein movement of the output body from the outboard position to the inboard position is constrained to generally linear movement by the housing and prompts the latch feature to enter the disengaged condition if the door is in the closed position,
wherein the at least one pivot member comprises:
a proximal living hinge coupled to the input body; and
a leaf coupled to the proximal living hinge and extending to a distal living hinge coupled to the output body, wherein the leaf is configured to pivot relative to the input body via the proximal living hinge and pivot relative to the output body via the distal living hinge to accommodate the linear movement of the output body from the outboard position to the inboard position, and
wherein the housing comprises:
at least one guide feature configured to abut the output body, such that movement of the output body from the outboard position to the inboard position is constrained by the guide feature to linear movement; and
a brace feature that abuts the leaf of the at least one pivot member and exerts a force on the leaf as the input body moves toward the second position to induce pivotal movement of the leaf relative to the input body via the proximal living hinge.