# US 11,441,342 B2 · Catch arm for a door locker unit, door locker unit with catch arm, vehicle door with door locker unit and vehicle with vehicle side doors with door locker unit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,441,342 B2 - Document ID: US11441342B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/434,269 - Filed: 2019-06-07 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-12 - Assignees: Innomotive Systems Hainichen GmbH - Applicants: Innomotive Systems Hainichen GmbH - Inventors: Ulrich Hertel; Ulrich Krumbiegel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441342B2 ## CPC - E05C 17/203: {concealed, e.g. for vehicles} - E05B 15/1635: {of plastics materials (springs E05B15/04)} - E05C 17/16: pivoted only at one end and having an elongated slot - E05C: BOLTS OR FASTENING DEVICES FOR WINGS, SPECIALLY FOR DOORS OR WINDOWS (latching means for sideboard or tailgate structures for vehicles B62D, {B62D33/02}; fastening devices for constructional or engineering elements E04, F16B; locks, fastening devices structurally or operatively combined or having significant cooperation with locks E05B; means for operating or controlling wing fasteners in conjunction with mechanisms for moving the wing E05F) - E05B: LOCKS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; HANDCUFFS ## Abstract In the case of a catch arm for a door locker unit, in particular of a vehicle door, with at least one elongated body with at least one catch arm head, arranged at its first end, as an end stop element and at least one opening, arranged at its second end, for articulated pivoting with respect to a bearing on which the catch arm is mounted, the catch arm is formed at least partially from at least one fibre-reinforced plastics material, wherein continuous fibres are provided as fibres of the fibre-reinforced plastics material and at least one thermoplastic material is provided as a matrix material of the at least one fibre-reinforced plastics material and the fibres are arranged as an insert in at least one overmoulding material of the catch arm in the form of at least one thermoplastic prepreg, and wherein layers of fibres in the prepreg comprise two or three-dimensional textile reinforcing composite within the thermoplastic matrix material. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A catch arm for a door locker unit, of a vehicle door, comprising: at least one elongated body with a) at least one catch arm head, arranged at a first end of the catch arm, as an end stop element and b) at least one opening, arranged at a second end of the catch arm, for articulated pivoting with respect to a bearing on which the catch arm is mounted, wherein the catch arm is formed at least partially from at least one fibre-reinforced plastics material, wherein continuous fibres are provided as fibres of the fibre-reinforced plastics material and at least one thermoplastic material is provided as a matrix material of the at least one fibre-reinforced plastics material and the fibres are arranged as an insert in at least one overmoulding material of the catch arm as at least one thermoplastic prepreg, and wherein layers of fibres in the prepreg comprise a two or three-dimensional textile reinforcing composite within the thermoplastic matrix material. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein, from the catch arm first end to the catch arm second end, fibre deposition within the insert is provided appropriate for multiple load paths. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein the fibres of the fibre-reinforced plastics material are oriented in a direction of a principal loading of the catch arm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein at least one organo sheet, being a fibre-composite material or fibres arranged as a textile, is wrapped around a metal element. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein fibre mats are pressed together with plastic to produce the fibre-reinforced plastics material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein two or three-dimensional textile reinforcing structures are layers of fibres in the prepreg, which layers comprise spread-out rovings or sheets. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The catch arm according to claim 6, wherein the two or three-dimensional textile reinforcing structures are layers of woven or knitted fabrics or nonwovens as multi-dimensional textile structures. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein in a region of the at least one catch arm head, a) multiple layers of fibres are provided with fibre directions of the layers arranged differently or b) at least a different fibre orientation than in a different region of the elongated body of the catch arm is provided. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one catch arm head is formed from at least one fibre-composite insert by twisting the at least one fibre-composite insert by a twisting angle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The catch arm according to claim 9, wherein the twisting angle is 90°. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one catch arm head is formed from the insert by a) fanning out the insert or by b) fanning out and connecting the insert to further layers of material. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein the at least one catch arm head is formed by a) at least one metal element, or b) comprises the at least one metal element as at least one insert in the at least one catch arm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The catch arm according to claim 12, wherein the at least one metal element is formed as a strip, T-shape or pin-shape. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The catch arm according to claim 12, wherein the at least one catch arm comprises a metal element and at least one band of fibres connected to the metal element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein for reinforcement, the at least one opening at the second end of the at least one catch arm is provided with a) at least one sleeve or bush of at least one stable material or b) the opening is stitched around or c) fibres are laid around the opening or d) the opening is produced by piercing using a warm mandrel to avoid interruptions of the fibres in a region of the opening. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The catch arm according to claim 15, wherein the sleeve is a metal sleeve, wherein the bush is wound from fibres, or wherein the fibres laid around the opening are wrapped around the opening. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The catch arm according to claim 1, wherein at least one reinforcing layer is arranged along a longitudinal extent of the at least one catch arm and is formed of at least one closed band. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) A door locker unit, comprising: at least one catch arm, at least one latching element, which is supported on the catch arm, at least one housing, the latching element being movably mounted in or on the housing, and the at least one catch arm extending through at least part of the housing and being mounted in an articulated manner, wherein the at least one catch arm is the catch arm according to claim 1. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A vehicle door with at least one door locker unit according to claim 18. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) A vehicle with a vehicle body and at least two vehicle side doors, wherein the vehicle side doors are connectable or connected to the vehicle body in each case by at least one door locker unit according to claim 17 with the at least one catch arm. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The door locker unit according to claim 18, wherein the latching element is a latching link or a pressure element.