JP2008520860A - Car door latch - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automobile door latch having a lock mechanism (1, 2), a double lock drive unit (5), and a lock drive unit (10). The automobile door latch has an opening device for electrically opening the lock mechanisms (1, 2). The double lock drive (5) and / or the lock drive (10) act on or form part of the opening device for the locking mechanism (1, 2). According to the present invention, the double lock interlocking part (5, 6) and the lock interlocking part (9, 10) are mechanically and / or electrically / electronically connected, and are unlocked by unlocking operation and locked by locking operation. Fixing operations are performed, and only one driving unit (5 or 10) is used for these operations.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile door latch, and the door latch has a lock mechanism, a double lock drive unit, a lock drive unit, and an opening device for electrically opening the lock mechanism, and the double lock drive unit and The lock drive acts on the opening device to actuate the lock mechanism or form part of the lock mechanism.

  The double lock driving part forms part of the double lock interlocking part and operates the double lock interlocking part. The double lock interlocking unit can move to a release position corresponding to “double lock off” or a fixed position corresponding to “double lock on”. In the “double lock-on” position, all mechanical opening operations in the automobile door latch are disabled. In other words, this means that the locking mechanism cannot be opened regardless of whether the outer or inner door handle is operated. In addition, it is impossible to electrically open the lock mechanism using an electric opening device.

  Similar to the double lock drive unit, the lock drive unit also forms part of the lock interlocking unit and operates the interlocking unit. The lock driving unit and the lock interlocking unit can be moved to an “unlock” position and a “lock” position. When the automobile door latch is locked, operating the outer door handle has no effect and the locking mechanism cannot be opened from the outside. On the other hand, the automobile door latch can be opened by an inner door handle. The outer door handle is also effective only when the lock drive and / or the lock interlock is moved to the “unlock” position.

  The lock mechanism can be opened by an electric motor using the opening device. As part of the operation, the opening device acts on the claw portion of the lock mechanism, which normally includes a grip portion and a claw portion, to disengage the claw portion. This allows the gripper to be opened (using a spring if necessary) and releases the lock pin held in the inlet opening. After the electric opening operation, the operator can thus open each of the automobile door handles directly.

  In most cases (but not limited to), the opening operation of the locking mechanism is used in combination with a keyless entry system in a vehicle. With this system, when the user approaches the vehicle for the purpose of getting on, the double lock interlocking part can be released in advance and the door latch can be unlocked in advance as part of the approval check that is performed first. The mechanism can be electrically opened. Such a function is desirable for comfort.

  In the general prior art embodiment described in DE 199 43 483, the double lock motor acts on the control member and the lock lever is in the "double lock on" position. When the lock lever is in the "double lock off" position, release the lock lever.When the lock lever is in the "latch door open" position, use the direct or release lever. The claw part is actuated. That is, here, the double lock motor means that it no longer acts on the lock lever. That is, in order to simultaneously operate the lock lever, it is necessary to operate the lock drive unit in addition to the double lock drive unit. This requires a complex design and may cause higher noise levels because both motors operate simultaneously. The present invention provides a solution to such technical problems.

  The present invention improves the comfort of the vehicle at the same time by improving the design of the automobile door latch of the type described above based on the above technical problem.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, an automobile door latch according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the double lock driving unit and / or the double lock interlocking unit, the lock driving unit and / or the lock interlocking unit are mechanical and When the lock driving unit and / or the lock interlocking unit are in the “lock” position, the double lock driving unit and / or the double lock interlocking unit are fixed. It is characterized by that. In this configuration, normally unlock means release and fixation means lock, but in both operations, only one drive, ie, either the lock drive or the lock drive, is used.

  In a preferred embodiment, the lock driving unit also reliably “releases” the double lock interlocking portion simultaneously when the lock interlocking portion is moved to the “unlock” position. That is, the movement to the “unlock” position and the “release” position is performed independently by the lock driving unit.

The double lock driving unit moves the double lock interlocking unit to a fixed position and simultaneously moves the lock interlocking unit to a “lock” position. That is, in this case, it means that the double lock driving unit is responsible for simultaneous movement to the “fixed” position and the “locked” position.

Specifically, the present invention specifically connects the double lock driving unit and / or the double lock interlocking unit and the lock driving unit and / or the lock interlocking unit mechanically and / or electrically and electronically. When the lock driving unit and / or the lock interlocking unit is in the “lock” position, the operation is achieved by fixing the double lock driving unit and / or the double lock interlocking unit. In other words, it means that at the same time when the lock driving unit or the lock interlocking unit moves to the “lock” position, the double lock driving unit or the double lock interlocking unit is always fixed at the “double lock off” position.

  In order for the double lock driving unit (or the lock driving unit) to release the lock mechanism, it is necessary to first move the lock interlocking unit to the “unlock” position. In other words, this means that when in the “double lock on” position, the lock driving unit first moves the lock interlocking unit to the “unlock” position. Next, immediately after that, the double lock driving portion acts on the lock mechanism from the position of “double lock on” to the position of “double lock off” to disengage the claw portion. That is, when the lock interlocking portion is in the “lock” position, the fixed state (mechanical or electronic) existing in the “double lock-off” position is released, and as a result, the double lock driving portion is This means that it is possible to move from the position of “double lock on” to the electric opening operation of the lock mechanism at once.

  The same procedure is applied when the locking mechanism is released from the locked position. In this case as well, the lock drive must first release the (mechanical or electronic) fixed state of the double lock drive. The lock drive can be a central lock drive, but is not necessarily a central lock drive. In this case, the lock interlocking portion is a central lock interlocking portion. The fixed state of the double lock driving unit is released by the lock driving unit or the central lock driving unit, respectively, and the lock interlocking unit or the central lock interlocking unit is moved to the “unlock” position. Next, the double lock driving unit can be moved directly to the “electrically open” position.

  That is, when the lock interlocking unit and / or the lock driving unit is in the “lock” position, the double lock is preferably fixed at the “double lock off” position. In order for the double lock driving unit to move to the “electrical release” position, first, the fixed state needs to be released by the central lock driving unit, and the lock interlocking unit needs to be moved to the “unlock” position.

  It is preferred that the timer control ensures that both drives do not operate as simultaneously as possible. That is, this means that the lock driving unit or the central lock driving unit and the double lock driving unit are sequentially operated in order to minimize the noise level. Alternatively, the operation timings of the driving units can be overlapped. It is also possible to provide a plurality of sensors to monitor different positions of each drive and report to the control device. An advantage of the present invention is that it operates without such a sensor, which reduces the design effort and cost.

  In this way, an automobile door latch is provided that enables the electric opening using the double lock drive and / or the (central) lock drive. At the same time, the unlocking or releasing operation ensures that the claw portion of the locking mechanism is uncontrolled and not opened in advance. This is because the drive unit used for the electric opening (the double lock drive unit or the lock drive unit) is not released by the other drive unit (the double lock drive unit or the lock drive unit). This is certain because it is not possible to move from the “on” or “off” position to the “electrical release” position. In other words, this means that in order to perform the electric opening, both drive parts must operate alternately in a specific order to release the fixed state of each other at least in the “off” position. In this way, erroneous operations can be avoided reliably.

  Since only one drive unit operates and two drive units are not activated at the same time, the noise level can be minimized. In addition, power consumption that cannot be neglected in the vehicle can be reduced.

  The electric opening operation is always executed by the double lock drive unit or the (center) lock drive unit. As long as the automobile door latch is locked, each drive unit (in the present embodiment, the double-lock drive unit) can release the latch but cannot perform an electric opening operation. This operation is possible only when the latch is unlocked by another driving unit, in the case of this embodiment, by the central lock driving unit. Since the double lock drive is fixed when in the “off” position, it is possible to avoid accidentally opening the lock mechanism. These points are the main advantages of the present invention.

  This figure shows a motor vehicle door latch 16 with a normal locking mechanism 1, 2 (shown only in FIG. 1). The lock mechanisms 1 and 2 have a gripping part 1 and a claw part 2. The claw portion 2 is disengaged by a release lever 3, whereby the grip portion 1 releases a lock pin (not shown) by a spring. An operation lever mechanism 4 (not shown in detail) operates the release lever. The release lever 3 can also be disengaged by the interlocking of the double lock drive unit 5 and the double lock lever 6.

  Double lock interlocking parts 5 and 6 are formed by the double lock lever 6 and the double lock drive part 5. The double lock drive unit 5 causes the double lock lever 6 in FIG. 1 to rotate about the pivot 7 in the clockwise direction from the illustrated “double lock on” position. During this operation, the double lock driving unit 5 or the double lock interlocking units 5 and 6, in this case, the double lock lever 6, rotate to a “double lock off” position indicated by a dotted line. The double lock lever 6 is fixed at this position by a stopper 8 on a lock lever 9 operated by a lock driving unit 10. The lock driving unit 10 forms a lock interlocking unit 9, 10 or a central lock interlocking unit 9, 10 together with the lock lever 9 or the central lock lever 9.

  FIG. 1 shows that the lock lever 9 is in the locked position. The lever can be rotated together with the double lock lever 6 around the other pivot 13 in the opposite direction (counterclockwise direction). When this operation is completed, the lock lever 9 moves to the “unlock” position, as indicated by the dotted line in FIG. In the diagram shown by the dotted line, the stopper 8 on the lock lever 9 is rotated outside the range of influence on the double lock lever 6, and as a result, the double lock lever 6 is moved by the lock lever 9 to the “unlock”. When in the “locked” position, it is (no longer) locked by the stopper 8.

  The function of the motor vehicle door latch according to the invention according to FIG. 1 is most apparent with reference to the schematic diagram of FIG. In the figure, only the two driving units 5 and 10 and the stopper 8 are shown. Instead of the driving units 5 and 10, the related double lock interlocking units (5 and 6) or the lock interlocking units 9 and 10 can be illustrated respectively.

  In this figure, in order to move from the “double lock on” position to the “lock” position, the double lock motor (drive unit) 5 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is moved about 4 in the counterclockwise direction. It shows that only one minute of rotation is required. Further rotation of the double lock lever 6 of the connecting member is prevented by contact with the stopper 8 on the lock lever 9.

  In order to move and unlock from the double lock position (the position of “double lock on”), the central lock drive unit 10 only needs to operate in the clockwise direction. Are performed simultaneously. The lock lever 9 moved to the “unlock” position and the connecting lever 11 rotatably disposed on the lock lever 9 allow the double lock lever 6 of the double lock interlocking portions 5 and 6 to be simultaneously “double locked off”. It moves reliably to the position (dotted line in FIG. 1).

  Next, since the double lock lever 6 is not (no longer) blocked by the stopper 8 on the lock lever 9, the double lock drive unit 5 continues to operate the double lock lever 6 in the counterclockwise direction. Is possible. When this operation is completed, the double lock lever 6 acts on the opening prevention boundary 12 of the operation lever 4. As a result, the release lever 3 in FIG. 1 is pushed downward, the claw portion 2 is disengaged from the grip portion 1, and the lock mechanisms 1 and 2 are electrically opened.

  In order to move from the “locked” position to the “unlocked” position, the central lock driver 10 only needs to rotate clockwise as shown in FIG. Next, when the door latch is electrically opened, the stopper 8 on the lock lever 9 is rotated outside the range of influence of the double lock lever 6 when the lever 9 is moved to the “unlock” position. Therefore, the central lock driving unit 10 can be rotated clockwise. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the double lock lever 6 rotates directly from the “double lock on” position or clockwise from the “double lock off” position to prevent the release lever 3 from opening. It becomes possible to reach the boundary portion or the inclined end portion 12.

  When the electric release operation is performed from the unlock position, it is only necessary to operate the double lock lever 6 in the clockwise direction. In order to move the lock lever 9 from the “unlocked” position to the “locked” position, it is necessary to operate the central drive unit 10 and move the lock lever 9 in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. There is.

  In order to allow the automobile door latch to move from the unlock position to the double lock position, it is necessary to operate the double lock drive unit 5 in the clockwise direction as shown in FIG. During this operation, the double lock lever 6 shown in FIG. 1 operates counterclockwise from the “double lock-off” position, and in conjunction therewith, the lock interlocking portions 9, 10 move to the “lock” position. . This operation is achieved by the connecting lever 11. Alternatively, the lock driving unit 10 may first rotate the lock lever 9 to the “lock” position, and then move the double lock lever 6 to the “double lock on” position.

  A similar process applies when the car door latch is in the locked position and must be double locked. In this case, it is necessary to operate only the double lock driving unit 5 so that the double lock lever 6 of FIG. 1 moves counterclockwise.

  Each time after the double lock driving unit 5 or the double lock interlocking parts 5 and 6 are electrically opened by the springs 14 arranged in the double lock driving part 5 or the double lock interlocking parts 5 and 6, each time “double Make sure to return to the “lock off” position. This operation occurs because tension is applied to the spring 14 during the above-described opening operation. Further, FIG. 2 further shows stoppers 15 (fixed to the housing) of the lock driving unit 10 and the lock interlocking units 9 and 10, and the “unlock” position and the “lock position” are set by the stoppers. Because it is positioned, it does not require complex sensor technology that is prone to problems.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings illustrating an embodiment.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an automobile door latch. FIG. 2 is a rear schematic view of the subject of FIG. 1 limited to the main components of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the objects of FIGS. 1 and 2 arranged on the automobile door.

Claims (7)

An automobile door latch having a lock mechanism (1, 2), a double lock drive unit (5), a lock drive unit (10), and an opening device for electrically opening the lock mechanism (1, 2). The double lock drive (5) and / or the lock drive (10) acts on or is part of the opening device of the lock mechanism (1, 2),
The double lock driving part (5) and / or the double lock interlocking part (5, 6) and the lock driving part (10) and / or the lock interlocking part (9, 10) are mechanical and / or electrical. And when the lock driving part (10) and / or the lock interlocking part (9, 10) is in the “lock” position, the double lock driving part (5) and / or An automobile door latch characterized by fixing a double lock interlocking portion (5, 6).   2. The automobile door latch according to claim 1, wherein the double lock drive part (5) is provided only when the lock drive part (10) and / or the lock interlock part (9, 10) is moved to the “unlock” position. The lock mechanism (1, 2) is opened.   3. The automobile door latch according to claim 1, wherein the lock driving part (10) is connected to the double lock only when the lock interlock part (9, 10) is moved to the “unlock” position. Part (5, 6) is released.   The automobile door latch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the double lock driving part (5) further moves the double lock interlocking part (5, 6) to a "fixed" position. The lock interlocking portions (9, 10) are moved to the “lock” position by an interlocking action.   5. The automobile door latch according to claim 1, wherein a timer control is provided to prevent both drive parts (5, 10) from operating simultaneously. It is.   6. The motor vehicle door latch according to claim 1, wherein the sensor monitors different positions of the drive part (5, 10) or the interlocking part (5, 6, 9, 10). It is characterized by.   The automobile door latch according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the double lock driving part (5) is locked by the lock driving part (10) and / or the lock interlocking part (9, 10). When in position, it is fixed in the “double lock-off” position.

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