Vehicle door latch apparatus

A vehicle door latch apparatus comprising:

• a locking lever that is switchable between an unlocked state in which a door is capable of being opened by operation of an outside handle that is provided on an outer side of the door and a locked state in which the door is not capable of being opened by the operation of the outside handle;
• a first inside lever that performs a releasing operation by an operation of an inside handle that is provided on an inner side of the door;
• a second inside lever that is linkable to and is unlinkable from the release operation of the first inside lever;
• and
• a switching element that moves between a connected position and a disconnected position, wherein the release operation of the first inside lever is capable of being transmitted to the second inside lever in the connected position, and the release operation of the first inside lever is not capable of being transmitted to the second inside lever in the disconnected position,
• wherein the switching element includes:
• an abutted portion, wherein, when the first inside lever performs the releasing operation in the connected position, the abutted portion abuts against the first inside lever, and thereby the release operation of the first inside lever is capable of being transmitted to the second inside lever, and when the first inside lever performs the releasing operation in the disconnected position, the abutted portion does not abut against the first inside lever, and thereby the release operation of the first inside lever is not capable of being transmitted to the second inside lever;
• and
• an unlocking abutting portion, wherein, in the connected position, the unlocking abutting portion is capable of abutting against the locking lever in the locked state,
• wherein the switching element is in a double unlocked state when the switching element is in the connected position and is in a double locked state when the switching element is in the disconnected position,
• wherein the double unlocked state enables a one-motion operation, in which the first inside lever abuts against the abutted portion and the unlocking abutting portion abuts against the locking lever by the switching element being linked to the release operation of the first inside lever in order to switch the locking lever from the locked state to the unlocked state, and in which the release operation of the first inside lever is transmitted to the second inside lever in order to open the door, and
• wherein in the double locked state, when the first inside lever performs the releasing operation, the first inside lever does not abut against the abutted portion and thereby prevents the release operation of the first inside lever from being transmitted to the second inside lever and prevents the locking lever from being switched from the locked state to the unlocked state.