Locking devices for vehicle seats

A locking device, comprising:

• a striker attached to one of two members to be interconnected, and
• a locking mechanism attached to the other of the two members, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a base plate having a slot that can receive the striker;
• a latch rotatably attached to the base plate, the latch being arranged and constructed to clamp the striker within the base plate slot so that the locking mechanism is in a locking condition;
• a pawl rotatably attached to the base plate, the pawl being arranged and constructed to engage the latch so that the locking mechanism is retained in the locking condition;
• and
• a cam member rotatably attached to the base plate, the cam member being arranged and constructed to urge the latch to a locking position by a spring force when the locking mechanism is in the locking condition,
• wherein the pawl and the cam member are attached to the base plate via a common rotational shaft, the pawl is integrated with the rotational shaft and the cam member can rotate around the rotational shaft, and
• wherein the locking mechanism includes a force transmitting path for transmitting a force that urges the locking mechanism in the locking condition to be disengaged from the striker, the force transmitting path passes through the cam member and includes a force interrupting portion positioned therein, the force interrupting portion is arranged and constructed to interrupt the force transmitting path when the force exceeds a predetermined value.

A locking devices, comprising:

• a striker attached to one of two members to be interconnected, and
• a locking mechanism attached to the other of the two members, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a base plate having a slot that can receive the striker;
• a latch rotatably attached to the base plate, the latch being arranged and constructed to clamp the striker within the base plate slot so that the locking mechanism is in a locking condition;
• a pawl rotatably attached to the base plate, the pawl being arranged and constructed to engage the latch so that the locking mechanism is retained in the locking condition;
• and
• a cam member rotatably attached to the base plate, the cam member being arranged and constructed to urge the latch to a locking position by a spring force when the locking mechanism is in the locking condition,
• wherein the locking mechanism includes a force transmitting path for transmitting a force that urges the locking mechanism in the locking condition to be disengaged from the striker, the force transmitting path passes through the cam member, the cam member is formed with a deformable portion that is arranged and constructed to be deformed along the force transmitting path when the force exceeds a predetermined value.

A locking devices, comprising:

• a striker attached to a vehicle body, and
• a locking mechanism attached to a vehicle seat, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a base plate having a slot that can receive the striker;
• a latch rotatably attached to the base plate, the latch being arranged and constructed to clamp the striker within the base plate slot so that the locking mechanism is in a locking condition;
• a pawl rotatably attached to the base plate, the pawl being arranged and constructed to engage the latch so that the locking mechanism is retained in the locking condition;
• a cam member rotatably attached to the base plate, the cam member being arranged and constructed to urge the latch to a locking position by a spring force when the locking mechanism is in the locking condition, and
• a release lever for unlocking the locking mechanism,
• wherein the pawl and the cam member are attached to the base plate via a common rotational shaft, the pawl is integrated with the rotational shaft,
• wherein the release lever is connected to the rotational shaft so that the pawl is rotated with the rotational shaft when the release lever is rotated in an unlocking rotational direction, thereby rotating the cam member, and
• wherein the locking mechanism includes a force transmitting path for transmitting a force that urges the locking mechanism in the locking condition to be disengaged from the striker, the force transmitting path passes through the cam member and includes a force interrupting portion positioned therein, the force interrupting portion is arranged and constructed to interrupt the force transmitting path when the force exceeds a predetermined value.