This invention relates to loc actuator mechanism for doors and other closures of vehicles. It has particular application to actuator mechanisms forming part of locking systems of the kind in which the individual locks are o er operable and interconnected through a central control unit for electrical actuation whereby locking or unlocking of all floors can be effected from a single control station operable from within or outside the vehicle, herein referred to as "central locking systems".

The object of the invention is to rovide actuator mechani incorporating a child safety facility which is convenient and reliable in operation, of simple and durable construction, which can readily be provided by modification of existing patterns of latch and locking assemblies, and which enables the respective door tn be secured even if powered operation should break down or fail.

According to the invention there is provided vehicle door lock actuator mechanism including

(a) a housing or other mounting formation;

(b) a drive input lever fulcru med on said formation and having operative connection to an interior manually actuable element (e.g. an interior door handle) selectively operable to shift said lever about its fulcrum axis between first and second angular positions;

(c) a driven output lever having operative connection with latching means hereby displacement of the output lever from a first to a second angular position releases the door from latche condition in use;

(d) coupling means comprising a drive dog having connection with one of said levers so that it is positively displaced on angular movement thereof and engaging a drive formation of the other of said levers extending jongitudinally of an arm thereof and having a portion shaped to ermit relative movement between the dog an said arm laterally of the la ter ;

(e) a security actuator linked to the drive dog and selectively movabl between first and secon positions to shift the dog longitudinally of said lever arm between an engaged condition respective to the first positio t hich the dog couples the levers for angular movement in unison, and a lost motion child safety condition respective to the second position at which the dog is aligned with said portion so that angular move ent of the input lever between its first and second positions is not transmitted to the output lever for releasing the latch, said actuator being anu lly operable by mean rendered inaccessible by the closing of the oor ;

(f) a main locking lever or other main locking ele en selectively driven by a ain o r actuator between a locked con tion at which the associated latch is secured against relea e an an unlocked position freeing the latch for release; and

(g) a lost otion connectio between the security actuator and the main locking element permitting o eration of the locking element ith ut affecting t e settin of the security actuator to its said first and second positions, but m vement of that actuator to a third position carrying the locking element to the l cked condition whereby the mechanism can be set t lock the door on closing for securing the vehicle without o eration of the power actuator.

Conveniently the output lever is fuJcrummed on the mounting formation co-axially with the input lever and an arm of the output lever is in substantially face to face relationship with an arm of the input lever when both levers are at the sam an ular position , the drive dog engaging drive formations extending lon itudinally of bo h arm and being shifted therealong by the security actuator .

The security actuator and the main locking element may both be levers and may be fulcrumined co-axially, the drive dog being carried on a link pivotally connected to an arm of the ecurity actuator lever and said lost motion connection including a pin carried by the actuator lever arm co-acting in an arcuate slot in an arm of the loc ing lever.

Said actuator lever ill be operatively enclosed in the door structure except for an operating button or other formation exposed in or on a surface part of the door which is accessible for manual en agement only when the oor is open.

An example of the i vention is no more particularly described ith reference to the accompanying rawings wherein :

Figure 1 i a side elevation of components of a loc actuator m chanism;

Figures 2 and 3 are elevations of said co ponents sho ing them in respective different operating positions, and

Figure 4 is a like elevation of a modified form of said components.

The mechanism described will be incorporated into a vehicle door latch and locking assembly of known kind having remotely controlled power operation as part of a central locking system of the vehicle. Only such parts of the latching and locking mechanisms of the a embly as are necessary to the un erstanding of these examples of the invention are here described and s own in the drawings .

The assembly will include latching means (not shown) releasably retainin the do r at the closed po ition, the latching means being released for opening the door by the operation of interior or exterior door h ndles (not shown). The door concerned will typically be a rear passenger door of tiie vehicle, the rear seats being commonly occupied by chi l ren who are there often remote fro adult supervision.

Said assembly include a ounting formation (not shown) locating its various components and constructed to form a housing on and within the structure of the respective door in use substantial ly containing and protecting them both fro ingress of dirt and from any unauthori ed robin or other acces ith a view to tampering with the mechanism.

Referring now to Figures 1-3 of the rawin s said asse bly includes lock actuator mechanism having a main locking lever 10 secured on a drive shaft 12 of a main powered actuator (not shown) incor oratin an electric drive motor. This actuator is selectively operated from the central system to shift lever 10 angularly between a locked position shown in Figure 3 with its arms generally horizontal , and an unlocked position shown in Figure 1 rotated clockwise by about 30° from the locked position. Lever 10 is connected for actuation of the locking mechanism of the assembly in known manner.

A generally T-shaped drive output lever 16 is fulcrummed on a fixed pivot 13 spaced below locking lever 10 as viewed in the drawings and has a pair of generally horizontal arms 20, 22 and a third generally vertical arm 2i extending downwards from its fulcrum.

Arm 24 includes a longitudinal drive formation in the form of a parallel sided slot 26.

Fulcrummed co-axially with lever 16 on pivot 18 is a drive input lever 28 extending generally vertically from pivot 18 so that its major part is m face to face

relationship ith slotted arm 24. The distal end of lever 28 is connected to ti e interior door handle, actuation of the latter causing angular displacement of lever 28 through a link ge (not shown).

ver 28 also include a drive formation in the for of an inverted L-shaped slot 30 having a vertical lower limb 30a co-incident ith the lower part of slot 26 in arm 24 when levers 16 and 28 are at the same angular positio , and a general ly horizontal limb 30b forming an upper slot portion hich extends laterally to the right as viewed in the drawings.

A headed pin forms a drive dog 32 hich is engaged through both lever slot 26 and 30. Dog 32 is carried on the lower end of a link 34, its upper end being pivotally connected to the distal end of one arm of a security actuator lever 36. Lever 36 is fulcrummed co-axially of lever 10 but can move angularly independently of drive shaft 12.

The other arm of lever 36 has an operating button 33 at its istal end which is accessible for manual operation through an arcuate slot 40 in the door casing or other door structure. Lever 36, an indeed the remainder of the above meciianism is otherwise enclosed in or on the assembled door against access. Slot 40 is covered and inaccessible when the door is closed.

With the door open security lever 3 can be moved using button 38 between a first position mid way along slot 40 shown in Fig. 1 and a second or child safety position to the bottom of slot 40 shown in Fig.2. In the latter position dog 32 is shifted upwardly to co-act with the upper portions of slots 26 and 30. In this position the horizontal limb 3 b of slot 30 permit - angular movement of drive input lever 28 without any motion being transmitted to output lever 16, thus rendering the interior door handle inoperative by disablin its driv connection to the latc echanism.

This chi safety condition prevents the door being

opened from the inside. In this particular a JJplicatio there is no sill button or other manually operable element on the inside of the door for locking or unlocking the related assembly, this can only be effected by powered operation with the door closed.

To restore operation of the inside door handle the door must be opened from the outside, lever 36 can then be set to the first position (Fig. l) and this shifts dog 32 down slots 30 and 26, linking levers 28 and 16 for movement in unison. Nor ally powered operation will suffice for all operating conditions; the cen ral locking syste enables locking and unlocking of ome or all of the vehicle doors from the outside, typically by a hand-held remote control device of known kind emitting a coded infra-red or ultrasonic signal to a pic -up on the vehicle body usually associated with the driver's or other front doors. The central system ensure that all the doors and/or other closures are secured with cor es onding cancellation unlocking the mechanism when a door is to be opened.

Failure of the central locking system might occur, most co monly due to the vehicle bein left arke and locked and the battery going flat (e.g. if lights have inadverten ly been left s itched on) or, more rarely, due to failure or' malfunctioning of electrical components of the system. Hence provision is ade for at least one door o the vehicle to be unlocked an locked manually in such emergency, independently of its ower actuation, from the vehicle exterior as by providing a conventional key-operated lock cylin er on a front door.

Absence of power actuation may occur with some or all non-key operated locks in an unlocked condition. So that all the doors can be secured, e.g. so that the vehicl can be safely left unattend d hile getting assistance the mechanism further includes means for effecting manual locking.

Said means co prises a pin 42 at the distal end of the left hand arm of lever 36, conveniently also serving

as the pivotal connection of lin 34 therewith. Pin 42 projects into an arcua e slot 44 in lever 10 .

Slot 44 provides lost motion connecti n between lever 10 an 36 so that drive dog 32 is n t displaced from the selected po ition by the powered locking and unlocking movement of lever 10. If the ower has failed with the door unlocked it can be opened. Using button 38 lever 3 can then be shifted to a third position shown in Fig.3, to the top of slot 40. Thi engages pin 42 with the bottom of lever slot 44 driving lever 10 to the locked position. The door can then be slammed shut while set locked s that it cannot be opened from outside.

Figure 4 illustrates a modified construction. Security actua or lever 436 is single armed and instead the operating button 30 of lever 36 is provided with a boss 437 having a cross groove for engagement by a coin, the end of a key, or he like for manual operation through an aligned hole in the door casing or other structure, accessible only when th door i open.

The form of he drive input lever 428 i also different, it drive formation slot 430 is shaped a a T urned on its side so that there is a lateral extension mi way alon its leng h. The other componen s of the Figure 4 mechanism are as previously rlescribed and operate in the same way, except that the child safety condition is provided when dog 32 is mid way of slot 430, and is cancelled making he inside door handl o erative when it is at either end of that slot.

It ill be understoo that he drive for ation hich includes a portion shape to ermit relative lateral movement between the drive og and the related lever arm could be provided in the arm of the output lever 16, while the arm of the input lever 28 has a simple lon itudinally extending slot or other drive formation.