Power locking and unlocking apparatus for vehicle doors

Claim 2

Power locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle door having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising extensible and contractile operating link means connected to said locking means and movable in either of two directions for moving said locking means from either of said positions to the other; electrical drive means; drive transmission means interconnecting said drive means sand said locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to tHe other in response to movement of said drive means; and normally open switch means forming part of said operating means in circuit with said drive means and operable when closed to connect said drive means to a power source, said operating means being operable to close said switch means in response to movement of said operating means a predetermined distance in either of said directions.

Claim 3

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including second operating means connected to said locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to the other independently of said drive means and independently of the operating link means.

Claim 4

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said second operating means comprises a key operated rotary linkage assembly.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said linkage assembly includes a rod connected to a rotatably lever and movable in response to rotation of said lever.

Claim 6

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises an electric motor.

Claim 7

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said motor has a rotary shaft and wherein said transmission means comprises gear means driven by said shaft.

Claim 8

Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said motor is reversible.

Claim 9

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including a rotary lever and wherein said operating link means interconnects said lever and said locking means.

Claim 10

Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said operating link means comprises first and second elements movable relatively to one another from a normal position, and wherein said switch means is resilient and acts on said elements to bias them to said normal position.

Claim 11

Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means in circuit with said drive means for disabling operation thereof for a limited period following movement of said locking means from either of said positions to the other.

Claim 12

Power door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising electrical drive means on each of said doors; drive transmission means interconnecting each of said drive means and its associated locking means and operable to move the latter from either of its positions to the other; normally open switch means in circuit with all of said drive means and operably when closed to connect all of said drive means to a power source; and manual operating means comprising a pair of relatively extensible and contractile links connected at least to the locking means of one of said doors and movable in either of two directions, said operating means being operable to close said switch means in response to movement thereof a predetermined distance in either of said directions, said switch means acting on said links and yieldably maintaining them in a normal position from which they are relatively movable in either of two directions of movement.

Claim 13

Power door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising electrical drive means on each of said doors; drive transmission means interconnecting each of said drive means and its associated locking means and operable to move the latter from either of its positions to the other; normally open switch means in circuit with all of said drive means and operably when closed to connect all of said drive means to a power source; and manual operating means comprising a pair of relatively extensible and contractile links connected at least to the locking means of one of said doors and movable in either of two directions, said operating means being operable to close said switch means in response to movement thereof a predetermined distance in either of said directions, said switch means acting on said links and yieldably maintaining them in a normal position from which they are relatively movable in either of two directions of movement.

Claim 14

Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 including means in circuit with said drive means for disabling operation thereof for a limited period following movement of said locking means from either of said positions to the other.

Claim 15

Power door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising reversible electric drive means carried by each of said doors; drive transmitting means interconnecting each of said drive means to the associated locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to the other; at least one of said drive transmitting means including relatively movable parts; normally open switch means forming part of said one of said drive transmitting means, said switch means being in circuit with all of said drive means and operable when closed to connect all of said drive means to a source of electricAl power; means responsive to relative movement in one direction of said parts for closing said switch means to drive all of said drive means in one direction to move their associated locking means from one of said positions to the other and responsive to relative movement of said parts in opposite direction for closing said switch means to drive all of said drive means in the opposite direction to move their associated locking means from said other position to said one position; and means for effecting relative movement of said relatively movable parts.

Claim 16

Power door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising reversible electric drive means carried by each of said doors; drive transmitting means interconnecting each of said drive means to the associated locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to the other; at least one of said drive transmitting means including relatively movable parts; normally open switch means forming part of said one of said drive transmitting means, said switch means being in circuit with all of said drive means and operable when closed to connect all of said drive means to a source of electricAl power; means responsive to relative movement in one direction of said parts for closing said switch means to drive all of said drive means in one direction to move their associated locking means from one of said positions to the other and responsive to relative movement of said parts in opposite direction for closing said switch means to drive all of said drive means in the opposite direction to move their associated locking means from said other position to said one position; and means for effecting relative movement of said relatively movable parts.

Claim 17

Power door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising operating means carried by at least one of said doors and connected to the associated locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to the other, said operating means including parts movable relatively to one another following movement of said one of said locking means from either of saId positions to the other; electrical drive means carried by all of the remaining doors and connected to the associated locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to the other; a pair of normally open switch means forming part of said operating means, said pair of switch means being in circuit with all of said drive means, each of said switch means being operable when closed to connect all of said drive means to a source of electrical power; means operable in response to relative movement in one direction of said parts to close one of said switch means and drive all of said drive means in one direction to move their associated locking means from one of said positions to the other; means operable in response to relative movement in the opposite direction of said parts to close the other of said switch means and drive all of said drive means in the opposite direction to move their associated locking means from said other position to said one position; and means for effecting relative movement of said parts.

Claim 18

Power door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising operating means carried by at least one of said doors and connected to the associated locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to the other, said operating means including parts movable relatively to one another following movement of said one of said locking means from either of saId positions to the other; electrical drive means carried by all of the remaining doors and connected to the associated locking means for moving the latter from either of said positions to the other; a pair of normally open switch means forming part of said operating means, said pair of switch means being in circuit with all of said drive means, each of said switch means being operable when closed to connect all of said drive means to a source of electrical power; means operable in response to relative movement in one direction of said parts to close one of said switch means and drive all of said drive means in one direction to move their associated locking means from one of said positions to the other; means operable in response to relative movement in the opposite direction of said parts to close the other of said switch means and drive all of said drive means in the opposite direction to move their associated locking means from said other position to said one position; and means for effecting relative movement of said parts.

Claim 19

Door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a power source and a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising key controlled, rotary operating means carried by at least one of said doors and rockable in one direction from a neutral position to and beyond a first position; means connecting said operating means to the locking means on said one of said doors for moving such locking means from one of said positions to the other in response to rocking of said operating means from said neutral position to said first position; electrical drive means carried by all the remaining doors and connected to the associated locking means for moving the latter from one of said positions to the other; normally open, resilient switch means in circuit with all of said drive means and biasing said operating means to said neutral position, said switch means being operable when closed to connect all of said drive means to said power source; and actuating means operable in response to rocking of said operating means beyond said first position to close said switch means and effect driving of all of said drive means in one direction.

Claim 20

Door locking and unlocking apparatus for a vehicle having a power source and a plurality of doors each having latch means and locking means movable from latch locking position to latch unlocking position and vice versa, said apparatus comprising key controlled, rotary operating means carried by at least one of said doors and rockable in one direction from a neutral position to and beyond a first position; means connecting said operating means to the locking means on said one of said doors for moving such locking means from one of said positions to the other in response to rocking of said operating means from said neutral position to said first position; electrical drive means carried by all the remaining doors and connected to the associated locking means for moving the latter from one of said positions to the other; normally open, resilient switch means in circuit with all of said drive means and biasing said operating means to said neutral position, said switch means being operable when closed to connect all of said drive means to said power source; and actuating means operable in response to rocking of said operating means beyond said first position to close said switch means and effect driving of all of said drive means in one direction.

Claim 21

The apparatus set forth in claim 15 wherein said operating means is rockable from said neutral position in the opposite direction to a second position; and second actuating means operable in response to rocking of said operating means to said second position to close said switch means and effect driving of all of said drive means in the opposite direction.

Claim 22

The apparatus set forth in claim 16 wherein the means connecting said operating means to the locking means on said one of said doors is operable to move such locking means from said other position to said one position in response to rocking of saId operating means to said second position.