Motor vehicle door latch device

A motor vehicle door latch device comprising:

• a latch mechanism that engages with a striker to hold a door closed;
• door-opening means that disengages the latch mechanism from the striker;
• and
• the latch mechanism comprising:
• a latch that is pivotally mounted via a first shaft for rotation between an open position, a half-latch position, and a full-latch position and engages with the striker;
• a pawl that is pivotally mounted via a second shaft, rotates to an engagement position in which the pawl engages with a full-latch engagement portion and a half-latch engagement portion of the latch, respectively, to hold the latch in the full-latch position and the half-latch position, respectively, and rotates in a releasing direction to enable the latch to rotate from the full-latch position and the half-latch position, respectively;
• a memory lever that is pivotally mounted via a third shaft so as not to axially overlap with the latch and the pawl wherein when the pawl rotates in the releasing direction from the full-latch engagement portion and the half-latch engagement portion of the latch, respectively, toward a release position based on an action of the door-opening means, the memory lever enables the pawl to be held in the release position in which the pawl cannot engage with the full-latch engagement portion and the half-latch engagement portion, while the latch rotates from the full-latch position and the half-latch position, respectively, to the open position;
• and
• a switch lever that is pivotally mounted via the second shaft, and is biased to rotate towards the latch so as to come in contact with the latch, wherein when the latch rotates from the open position to the half-latch position, the switch lever stops the pawl, such that the pawl is held at a non-contact position in which a pawl portion, formed as a convex shape on the pawl, engages with the half-latch engagement portion, which is formed as a concave shape in the latch, but does not contact with a bottom of the half-latch engagement portion, thereby holding the latch in the half-latch position,
• wherein the latch forms a protrusion projecting in a thickness direction of the latch and having an outer circumferential surface facing a direction in which the switch lever is biased towards the latch, and wherein as the latch rotates from the open position to the half-latch position, the switch lever contacts with the protrusion so that the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion stops biased movement of the switch lever towards the latch, such that the switch lever stops the pawl at the non-contact position.