Latches

A latch for a closure comprising a claw, which is spring-biased towards an unlatched position, for engaging a striker fixed to the closure, a pawl for latching open the claw, a single electric motor selectively drivingly coupled to the pawl and the claw, whereby rotation of the motor in one direction causes the pawl to move to release the claw to permit it to move to the unlatched position and rotation of the motor in the opposite direction causes the claw to move to a latched position, characterised in that an intermediate gear assembly is connected to the motor and arranged to act on the pawl when the motor rotates in one direction and on the claw when the motor rotates in the opposite direction, that the intermediate gear assembly comprises a gear reduction drive operable only in the opposite direction of rotation and two cams connected to a common shaft and arranged to act on a rotary drive lever which is arranged to contact the pawl and to move it from the latched to the released position, when the motor is rotated in one direction, and which is arranged to contact the claw and to move it from a semi-latched position to the latched position, when the motor is rotated in the opposite direction, each cam having a cam surface which engages a respective engagement surface on the drive lever, the two pairs of engaging surfaces being positioned and shaped such that the ratio of the speed of rotation of the common shaft to the speed of rotation of the drive lever, when the motor rotates in the one direction, is 3 to 12 times greater than the ratio of the speed of rotation of the common shaft to the speed of rotation of the drive lever, when the motor rotates in the opposite direction.