Patent ID: 6471259
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: E05B,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A lock for doors of motor vehicles, comprising a housing, a lock catch component mounted on said housing for movement between an initial open position and a fully closed position through an intermediate position and including a preliminary and a final abutment; a lock latch component mounted on said housing for displacement between an arresting position and a releasing position in which it engages and disengages one of said preliminary and final abutment of said lock catch component to hold the latter in and release the same for movement out of said intermediate and fully closed position, respectively; means for causing said lock latch component to disengage said one of said abutments of said lock catch component to release the latter for said movement thereof toward said initial open position, including an electrically powered auxiliary opening drive, means for moving said lock catch component from said intermediate into said fully closed position thereof, including an electrically powered auxiliary closing drive which includes a step-down transmission and means for connecting said step-down transmission with said lock latch component, including a driving element and a coupling interposed between said driving element and said lock latch component; means for enabling said auxiliary closing drive to act on said lock latch component as well when necessary for it to act on the latter to displace the same out of engagement with said one abutment of said lock catch component; and means for controlling the operation of said drives including means for determining the occurrence of an emergency situation involving the action on said lock catch component of excessive forces making it necessary to employ said auxiliary closing drive to accomplish said disengagement, and means for operating said auxiliary closing drive in such a manner after a demand for opening the lock has been issued in said emergency situation that said auxiliary closing drive acts to disengage said lock latch component from said lock catch component.