VEHICLE DOOR LATCH SECURITY TETHER

摘要

A vehicle that includes a door, handle, shaft, and a latch assembly is provided. The latch assembly is coupled to the door to selectively secure the door. The latch assembly includes a security tether configured to prevent the shaft from moving the pawl when the lock lever is located in the locked condition. The security tether further includes: a plate attachable to the latch assembly; the plate includes an aperture sized to receive at least a portion of the lock lever that is disposed through the aperture; the plate includes first and second stop surfaces to limit movement of the lock lever; the first and second stop surfaces are also spaced apart from each other; the lock lever is movable between the first and second stop surfaces; at least the first stop surface is spaced apart from the first location on the pawl; and the lock lever engages the first stop surface when the lock lever is located in the locked condition to prevent the pawl from moving to the unlatched condition and unlatching the latching assembly.

主权项

1. A vehicle comprising:
a door; a latch assembly coupled to the door to selectively secure the door, the latch assembly comprising:
a handle;a shaft;wherein the handle is coupled to the shaft and configured to rotate the shaft about the shaft's longitudinal extent;a pawl attached to the shaft and configured to move between latched and unlatched conditions when the shaft is rotated;a lock lever movable between locked and unlocked conditions; andwherein when the lock lever is located in the locked condition the lock lever engages the pawl at a first location so the pawl is prevented from moving to the unlatched condition, and when in the unlocked condition the lock lever is disengaged from the first location so the pawl is not prevented from moving to the unlatched condition; a security tether configured to prevent the shaft from moving the pawl when the lock lever is located in the locked condition, the security tether comprising:
a plate attachable to the latch assembly;wherein the plate includes an aperture sized to receive at least a portion of the lock lever that is disposed through the aperture;wherein the plate includes first and second stop surfaces that limit movement of the lock lever;wherein the first and second stop surfaces are spaced apart from each other;wherein the lock lever is movable between the first and second stop surfaces;wherein at least the first stop surface is spaced apart from the first location on the pawl; and wherein the lock lever engages the first stop surface when the lock lever is located in the locked condition to prevent the pawl from moving to the unlatched condition and unlatching the latch assembly.