Cam-operated latch assembly

A method of operating a latch assembly, comprising:

• rotating a first cam and a second cam about a single axis until a first portion of the first cam engages a locking lever to move the locking lever to an unlocked position, and a first portion of the second cam engages a detent lever to move the detent lever to a disengaged position, wherein the first portion of the second cam is rotatably aligned with the first portion of the first cam;
• and
• rotating the first cam and the second cam about the single axis until a second portion of the first cam permits the locking lever to move between the unlocked position and a locked position, and a second portion of the second cam permits the detent lever to move between the disengaged position and an engaged position;
• wherein the locking lever is configured to secure the latch in a closed position when the locking lever is in the locked position, and the detent lever is configured to allow the latch to move between the closed position and an open position when the detent lever is in the engaged position.

A latch assembly comprising:

• a housing;
• a latch coupled to the housing, the latch comprising a first position and a second position;
• a locking lever coupled to the housing, the locking lever comprising a locked position and an unlocked position, the locking lever configured to secure the latch in the first position when the locking lever is in the locked position;
• a detent lever coupled to the housing, the detent lever comprising an engaged position and a disengaged position, the detent lever configured to allow the latch to move between the first and second positions when the detent lever is in the engaged position;
• a cam assembly comprising a first cam and a second cam rotatably aligned about a single axis, the cam assembly having a first position, a second position, and a third position, the cam assembly configured to:
• contact the locking lever with a first cam to move the locking lever to the unlocked position and contact the detent lever with a second cam to move the detent lever to the disengaged position when the cam assembly is in the first position;
• contact the locking lever to move the locking lever to the unlocked position and allow the detent lever to move between the engaged and disengaged positions when the cam assembly is in the second position;
• and
• allow the locking lever to move between the locked and unlocked positions and allow the detent lever to move between the engaged and disengaged positions when the cam assembly is in the third position;
• and
• a single motor coupled between the housing and the cam assembly, the motor configured to selectably move the cam assembly to one of the group of the first position, the second position, and the third position.