EP3334879B1 - Electric lock comprising actuating device for a motor vehicle lock - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a lock for a door or flap of a motor vehicle with an actuating device.

Such a lock has a locking mechanism, which basically comprises a rotary latch and a pawl for locking the rotary latch in a latching position, and optionally a blocking lever for blocking the pawl in its latching position. Such a lock is from the DE 10 2009 026 921 A1 known.

The actuating device is used to open the door or flap and therefore enables the locking mechanism to be unlocked. By actuating the actuating device, the pawl is moved out of its locking position and, if necessary, the blocking lever is moved out of its blocking position and the locking mechanism is finally opened. The door or flap can then be opened.

The actuation device usually has a release lever which is actuated to open or unlock the locking mechanism. Such a release lever is typically connected to a handle of the door or flap. This can be an outside handle or an inside handle of the corresponding door or flap. If such a handle is actuated, the release lever is actuated or pivoted in order to unlatch the locking mechanism and thus open the lock.

In the case of electrically operated locks, there is no mechanical connection between the door handle, e.g. outside door handle, and the locking mechanism. The lock is opened by means of an electric drive. An associated door handle can have, for example, an electrical switch that provides the signal for driving the electric motor. Preference is given to using worm gears, consisting of a motor, worm and gear wheel, since this enables a large transmission ratio to be achieved, so that on the one hand a very precise control of the opening mechanism can take place and at the same time high release forces are available.

DE 197 10 531 A1 forms the basis for the preamble of claim 1 and describes a motor vehicle door lock with a latch 1 and a pawl 5 holding the latch 1 in the closed position and with an electromotive drive 7 running in both directions of rotation for lifting the pawl 5 with a downstream reduction gear 8 and an electronic control. In this door lock, the electric motor drive 7 works in normal operation only in one direction of rotation, the normal direction of rotation, and acts with a low reduction ratio on the pawl 5. In emergency operation, the electric motor drive 7 works in the opposite direction of rotation, the emergency direction of rotation, and has a significantly higher reduction ratio the pawl 5. The reduction gear 8 is constructed in two stages with two gear stages 11, 12. According to a first alternative, the second gear stage 12 is switched on in emergency operation, but is switched off in normal operation. According to a second alternative, the second gear stage 12 takes effect instead of the first gear stage 11 in emergency operation. The pawl 5 is coupled to a first operating lever 9 for normal operation and to a second operating lever 16 for emergency operation. Both actuating levers 9, 16 are mounted on an axle 6. The first operating lever 9 is made short, the second operating lever 16 is made long. The first actuation lever 9 only interacts with the first gear stage 11, the second actuation lever 16 only interacts with the second gear stage 12. The first gear stage 11 is provided with a driver 10 which is arranged on a first disk 15 and which moves the first actuating lever 9. The second gear stage 12 is provided with two force transmission pins 14 arranged diametrically opposite one another on a second disk 13, of which only one - the next one - moves the second actuating lever 16.

EP 1 074 681 A1 also forms the basis for the preamble of claim 1 and describes a motor vehicle door lock with a latch 1 and a pawl 3 holding the latch 1 in the closed position, with an electric drive motor 5 running in both directions of rotation, a reduction gear 6 connected downstream of this and a reduction gear 6 driven actuating lever 7 coupled to the pawl 3 for lifting the pawl 3. In this door lock, the drive motor 5 works in normal operation in one direction of rotation, the normal direction of rotation, and acts with a low reduction ratio via a normal actuating element 10 on the pawl 3. The drive motor 5 works in the opposite direction of rotation in emergency mode, the emergency direction of rotation acts with a significantly larger reduction ratio via an emergency actuating element 11 on the pawl 3. The reduction gear 6 is designed as a combination of worm gear, planetary gear and cam gear. The worm gear 17 of the worm gear is rigidly coupled to the sun gear 12 of the planetary gear and the normal actuating element 10, the planet carrier 14 is rigidly coupled to the emergency actuating element 11. This coupling technology ensures that in normal operation the worm wheel 17 is driven in the counterclockwise direction and the normal actuating element 10 located directly on the worm wheel 17 comes into effect. If the direction of rotation of the drive motor 5 is reversed, the normal actuation element 10 does not come into effect, but the emergency actuation element 11. Since this is rigidly coupled to the planetary gear carrier 14 while the ring gear 15 is fixed, it always rotates in the same direction of rotation as that Normal actuating element 10, but with a reduced rotational speed in the reduction ratio of the planetary gear.

In extreme cases or under unfavorable weather conditions, it can happen that much greater forces act on the locking mechanism, so that a conventional release mechanism cannot provide a sufficiently high force to open the locking mechanism. Such a case can occur, for example, when the motor vehicle door has been deformed by an accident, or, for example, when increased forces are required to open the locking mechanism due to extreme weather conditions, such as cold.

The object of the invention is to be able to reliably open a locking mechanism of an electrically operated lock of a motor vehicle with sufficient force, without having to provide an excessively large electric motor and / or an excessively large gear ratio for normal operation.

The object is achieved by a lock with the features of the first claim. Advantageous configurations result from the subclaims.

• einem Gesperre;
• einer Betätigungseinrichtung für ein Öffnen des Gesperres,

wobei

• die Betätigungseinrichtung einen drehbaren Aktuator umfasst, der durch einen Antrieb gedreht werden kann,
• das Gesperre durch Drehen des Aktuators geöffnet werden kann,
• das Gesperre unabhängig von der Drehrichtung des Aktuators geöffnet werden kann;
• die Kraft, mit der das Gesperre geöffnet wird, von der Drehrichtung des Aktuators abhängt;
• der Aktuator bei Drehung des Aktuators in der einen Drehrichtung das Gesperre mit einer großen Kraft öffnet;
• das Gesperre in der einen Drehrichtung des Aktuators über ein Zugmittel geöffnet werden kann;
• der Aktuator bei Drehung des Aktuators in der anderen Drehrichtung das Gesperre mit einer geringen Kraft öffnet.

The invention proposes a lock for a motor vehicle with

• a lock;
• an actuating device for opening the locking mechanism,

in which

• the actuating device comprises a rotatable actuator which can be rotated by a drive,
• the lock can be opened by turning the actuator,
• the lock can be opened regardless of the direction of rotation of the actuator;
• the force with which the lock is opened depends on the direction of rotation of the actuator;
• the actuator opens the locking mechanism with great force when the actuator is rotated in one direction of rotation;
• the lock can be opened in one direction of rotation of the actuator via a traction device;
• the actuator opens the locking mechanism with a small amount of force when the actuator is turned in the other direction of rotation.

The actuation device comprises a rotatable actuator which can be rotated by a motorized drive, in particular by an electric drive. Turning the actuator disengages, i.e. opens, the locking mechanism. The lock can be opened regardless of the direction of rotation of the actuator. So it does not depend on a certain direction of rotation to open the lock. Every possible direction of rotation causes the locking mechanism to open. The force with which the lock is opened depends on the direction of rotation of the actuator. It can therefore be opened with varying degrees of force depending on the direction of rotation. This makes it possible to open with a lower force in normal operation compared to the case that requires a higher force for opening. In normal operation, where a normal force is sufficient to open the locking mechanism, it can be opened quickly and with little energy. Nevertheless, there is the option of being able to open with a delay, but with greater force if necessary.

According to the invention, the lock is opened in one direction of rotation of the actuator via a traction device, in particular by a cable winch. The cable winch is arranged in particular close to the axis of the rotatable actuator in order to be able to provide a lever ratio with a high gear ratio and thus great force. The actuator is then driven in particular on its outer circumference by a drive, specifically in particular by an electric motor together with a gear. The outer circumference can be designed as a gear which is driven by a gear of the transmission or by a worm of the drive. A reliably functioning drive can thus be ensured. Instead of a cable winch, however, only a cable or a rod can be connected to the actuator. A pulling movement for opening the locking mechanism is transmitted through this rope or this rod. The rope or the rod are also advantageously arranged close to the axis in order to enable a lever ratio which enables the locking mechanism to be opened with great force.

The traction means is attached in particular to the free end of the transmission lever in order to enable a lever ratio in an improved manner, by means of which the locking mechanism can be opened with great force.

In one embodiment, the transmission lever comprises a driver which is arranged between the free end of the transmission lever to which the traction means is attached and the axis of rotation of the transmission lever. By means of this driver, a pivoting movement of the transmission lever can be transmitted to a locking pawl and the locking pawl can thus be moved out of its locking position. The arrangement of the driver also enables the pawl to be moved out of its latching position with great force due to the corresponding leverage. The driver is arranged in particular in the first half of the transmission lever and, indeed, viewed from the axis through which the transmission lever is rotatably mounted. As a result, a lever ratio is provided in a further improved manner, which enables opening with great force.

In one embodiment, rotating the actuator in one direction of rotation swivels a release lever which, by swiveling, is able to open the locking mechanism with little force. This configuration contributes to the fact that it can be opened with very different forces. For this purpose, the actuator can comprise a bolt which is preferably arranged at the edge so that it can be opened particularly quickly.

The configurations mentioned make it possible to be able to open with different forces and different speeds without having to provide an excessively large installation space for this or having to undertake an excessively large technical effort. In particular, it is possible that the low force differs many times over from the higher force without having to undertake an excessive technical effort. The low force can be provided very quickly.

It is possible that the higher force is at least four times, preferably at least six times, as great as the lower force. In one embodiment, the lower force is up to 16 Newtons. The greater force is at least 80 Newtons, advantageously at least 100 Newtons. This means that a very large amount of force is available to be able to open a lock even in exceptional situations. It can be opened very quickly for normal operation, which requires only a small amount of force.

The locking mechanism of the lock according to the invention basically comprises a rotary latch and a pawl for locking the rotary latch and optionally also a blocking lever which is able to block the pawl in its latching position.

The lock is, in particular, an electrically operated lock.

Figur 1:

Betätigungseinrichtung mit zwei Hebeln für ein Entrasten einer Sperrklinke eines Gesperres;

Figur 2:

Betätigungseinrichtung mit einem Hebel für ein Entrasten einer Sperrklinke eines Gesperres;

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to figures. Show it

Figure 1:

Actuating device with two levers for unlatching a pawl of a locking mechanism;

Figure 2:

Actuating device with a lever for unlocking a pawl of a locking mechanism;

The Figure 1 outlines an actuation device with which, for example, a pawl can be opened. An actuator 1 is shown, which can essentially be a wheel or disk rotatably supported by an axle 2. By turning the actuator 1, a pawl 3 can be moved out of its latching position, namely by turning it counterclockwise around its axis 4. The force with which the pawl 3 is moved out of its latching position depends on the direction of rotation of the actuator 1. If the actuator 1 is rotated clockwise around its axis 2, an actuator bolt 5 attached to the edge of the wheel detects a lever end of a release lever 6 and thus pivots the release lever 6 counterclockwise around its axis 7. The actuator bolt thus acts as a driver. This pivoting movement of the release lever 6 is transmitted to the pawl 3, for example due to a linkage 8 which is attached to the release lever 6 on the one hand and to the free end of the pawl 3 on the other. Instead of a linkage 8, a rope or the like can also be provided which connects or couples the release lever 6 and the pawl 3 in such a way that a pivoting movement of the release lever 6 is transmitted to the pawl 3.

The actuator 1 has a cable winch 9 which is arranged at the axis 2. If the actuator 1 is rotated counterclockwise, the cable 10 of the cable winch 9 is wound up. One end of the rope 10 is connected to the end of a transmission lever 11. The transmission lever 11 is rotatably supported by the axis 4. The pawl 3 and the transmission lever 11 are therefore rotatably supported by a common axis 4. If the rope 10 is wound up, the transmission lever 11 is pivoted counterclockwise about the axis 4. This pivoting movement of the transmission lever 11 is transmitted to the pawl 3 via a driver 12 of the transmission lever 11. Viewed from the axis 4 in the direction of the fastening for the traction means 10, the driver 12 is arranged within the first half of the transmission lever 11. The pawl 3 is moved out of its latching position by the driver 12 and with a significantly higher force compared to the force that acts on the pawl 3 when the actuator 1 is rotated clockwise.

Pivoting movements of the levers can be suitably limited by stops. So in the Figure 1 by way of example, a stop 13 is shown which limits a pivoting movement of the release lever 6 in the counterclockwise direction.

The respective position or position of the actuating device can be monitored or determined by one or more sensors. So in the Figure 1 by way of example, a microswitch 14 is shown with which the position of the actuator 1 can be detected. For this purpose, one or more elevations can be provided on the edge of the actuator, which can actuate the microswitch or, alternatively, a plurality of microswitches and thus display the position of the actuator. The one or more sensors can be used to control and / or monitor the opening. For example, opening is always started with less force. If the one or more sensors determine that the pawl 3 could not be moved out of its latching position with the low force, then it is opened with a greater force in that the actuator 1 is then rotated in the opposite direction. There is basically a control device (not shown) which controls the opening in the aforementioned manner.

The actuator 1 can be rotated about its axis 2 by an electric drive 15, in both directions. The electric drive 15 generally comprises an electric motor which is able to drive the actuator 1 via a transmission. The actuator 1 can be a gearwheel which is driven via a further gearwheel or a worm of the electric drive 15.

The embodiment according to Figure 1 makes it possible to open relatively quickly in normal cases, for example with 16 N. If this force proves to be insufficient, a force of 100 N and more can then be provided by turning it in the opposite direction in order to then be able to open the lock with a time delay, but reliably with a sufficiently high force.

One or more levers can be pretensioned by springs (not shown), for example the pawl 3 by a spring in the direction of its latching position and / or the transmission lever 11 by a spring in the direction of its starting position which can be pivoted from the transmission lever 11 for opening the locking mechanism.

The Figure 2 outlines an alternative embodiment with only one transmission lever 11. This transmission lever 11 is connected to the edge of the wheel of the actuator 1 via a further cable. The axis 2 of the actuator 1 is arranged between the two cables 8 and 10 such that the transmission lever 11 is pivoted either by the cable 8 or by the cable 10 depending on the direction of rotation of the actuator 1. The cable 8 can be fastened by a second cable winch, which extends as far as the circumference of the wheel of the actuator 1. The attachment or cable winch for the cable 8 is attached to the rear of the actuator 1 if this is advantageous for reasons of space. Instead of a rope, a flexible band or a rod or linkage, for example, can also be provided.

The embodiment according to Figure 2 comprises fewer components compared to the embodiment of FIG Figure 1 is and is therefore technically simpler. The embodiment of the Figure 1 however, enables greater differences in force and in this respect has a significant advantage over the embodiment according to FIG Figure 2 on.

List of reference symbols

1:

Actuator

2:

Axis of the actuator

3:

Pawl

4:

Axis of the pawl

5:

Actuator driver; Actuator bolt

6:

Release lever

7:

Axis of the release lever

8th:

Rod, rope

9:

Winch

10:

Winch rope

11:

Transmission lever

12:

Driver of the transmission lever

13:

attack

14:

Microswitch

15:

electric drive

Claims (14)

1. Latch for a motor vehicle, comprising

   • a locking mechanism (3);

   • an operating device for opening the locking mechanism (3),

   • the operating device comprising a rotatable actuator (1) which can be rotated by a drive (15);

   • it being possible to open the locking mechanism (3) by rotating the actuator (1);

   • it being possible to open the locking mechanism (3) independently of the direction of rotation of the actuator (1);

   • the force with which the locking mechanism (3) is opened being dependent on the direction of rotation of the actuator (1);

   • the actuator (1) opening the locking mechanism (3) with a large force when the actuator (1) rotates in one direction of rotation;

   characterized in that

   • the locking mechanism (3) can be opened by a pulling means (10) in one direction of rotation of the actuator (1);

   • the actuator (1) opens the locking mechanism (3) with a small force when the actuator (1) rotates in the other direction of rotation.
2. Latch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the pulling means comprises a rope (10) or a rod or is a rope winch (9).
3. Latch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the rope winch (9) or a fastening means for the rope (10) or the rod is arranged on the axis (2) of the actuator (1).
4. Latch according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pulling means (10) is connected to a transmission lever (11) which is capable of transmitting its pivoting movement to a pawl (3) of the locking mechanism in order to open said mechanism.
5. Latch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the pulling means (10) is fastened to the free end of the transmission lever (11).
6. Latch according to either of the two preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission lever (11) comprises a driving dog (12) by means of which a pivoting movement of the transmission lever (11) is transmitted to the pawl (3) in order to open the locking mechanism.
7. Latch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the driving dog (12) is arranged between the free end of the transmission lever (11), to which the pulling means (10) is fastened, and the axis (4), by means of which the transmission lever (11) is rotatably mounted.
8. Latch according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the larger force with which the locking mechanism (3) can be opened by rotating the actuator (1) in one direction of rotation is at least four times larger than the smaller force with which the locking mechanism (3) can be opened by rotating the actuator (1) in the other direction.
9. Latch according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, by rotating the actuator (1) in one direction of rotation, a release lever (6) is pivoted which, by pivoting, is capable of opening the locking mechanism (3) with a small force.
10. Latch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the actuator (1) comprises a bolt (5) by means of which the release lever (6) can be pivoted.
11. Latch according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the bolt (5) is arranged on an outer edge of the actuator (1).
12. Latch according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuator (1) can be driven by an electric drive (15).
13. Latch according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking mechanism comprises a catch and a pawl (3) for ratcheting the catch.
14. Latch according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latch is an electrically operated latch.

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