Abstract:
A motor vehicle door and to a motor vehicle door lock and a method for mounting the motor vehicle door lock in a motor vehicle door, the motor vehicle door lock having an inside locking lever, and when installed, being located in a hollow space of the door and coupled to an inside safety element via a connecting rod that extends through a passage opening in an inside wall segment of the door body. To facilitate installation, the connecting rod is formed of two segments, a lower connecting rod segment extending through the passage opening and being connected to a an upper connecting rod segment at a location that is outside of the hollow space in proximity to the passage opening.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates, generally, to a method for mounting a motor vehicle door lock to a motor vehicle door. The motor vehicle door lock comprises an inside locking lever that, in the mounting condition, is coupled to an inside safety element via a connecting rod. Also, this invention relates generally to a motor vehicle door and to a motor vehicle door lock. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    Known motor vehicle doors comprise a door body providing a hollow space, in which the motor vehicle door lock is situated. Such an arrangement is shown in German Patent DE 25 22 301 C3. The motor vehicle door lock disclosed in this patent comprises an inside locking lever that, in the mounted condition, is coupled to an inside safety element via a connecting rod. The inside safety element may be actuated by a passenger who is sitting inside the motor vehicle in order to lock or unlock the door lock. The door body has a wall segment which bounds the hollow space from the passenger compartment and which has a passage opening through which in the mounted condition the connecting rod extends. 
         [0005]    Mounting of the known motor vehicle door lock always leads to problems. If the motor vehicle door lock is to be mounted while the connecting rod is already coupled to the inside locking lever, it normally takes a considerable amount of skill and practice to find the respective passage opening in the wall segment of the door body due to the large extension of the connecting rod. If the connecting rod is to be coupled to the motor vehicle door lock after the lock has been mounted, finding the inside locking lever is generally even harder. 
         [0006]    Another drawback of the known arrangement is the fact that, normally, the part of the connecting rod that, in the mounted condition, is located outside the hollow space is normally of considerable length. In many cases this leads to the necessity of a large mounting opening within the door body as the lock has to be moved over an accordingly large distance in mostly vertical direction. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    A primary object of the present invention is directed to providing a method for mounting a motor vehicle door lock to a motor vehicle door that speeds up the mounting process, and at the same time, reduces the skill and practice necessary for mounting of the motor vehicle door lock. 
         [0008]    It is essential for the teaching of the present invention that the connecting rod between the inside locking lever and the inside safety element is at least a two part component comprising an upper connecting rod and a lower connecting rod. After coupling of the lower connecting rod to the inside locking lever, the motor vehicle door lock is moved into the hollow space, thereby guiding the lower connecting rod through the passage opening. This can easily be done due to the reduced length of the lower connecting rod. Next, the connecting rod is completed by coupling the upper connecting rod to the lower connecting rod at a coupling position, which is outside the hollow space in proximity of the passage opening. 
         [0009]    In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the coupling of the upper connecting rod to the lower connecting rod comprises the steps of moving the upper connecting rod into a pre-mounted engagement position and locking the coupling by pivoting the upper connecting rod from the pre-mounted engagement position into the mounted position around a pivot axis that is oriented perpendicular to the overall extension of the connecting rod in its mounted condition. This way of locking said coupling guarantees a safe connection between the upper connecting rod and the lower connecting rod as pivoting the upper connecting rod back cannot take place during normal operation of the motor vehicle due to the coupling of the safety element to an inner door panel or the like. 
         [0010]    According to another teaching, the above object is achieved by a motor vehicle door and a motor vehicle door lock as described above. 
         [0011]    The invention is explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a motor vehicle door lock after a first step of the mounting method according to the invention, 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows the motor vehicle door lock according to  FIG. 1  after a second step of the mounting process according to the invention, 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows the motor vehicle door lock according to  FIG. 11  after a third step of the mounting process according to the invention, 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows the motor vehicle door lock according to  FIG. 1  after a fourth step of the mounting process according to the invention, 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a schematic perspective view of a coupling element for coupling of the upper connecting rod and the lower connecting rod, 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the coupling element before locking, 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the coupling element after locking with a dot-dash detail thereof shown in enlarged detail. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0019]    The motor vehicle door shown in  FIG. 4  comprises a door body  1  enclosing a hollow space  2  in which a motor vehicle door lock  3  is situated in its fully mounted condition. A window  4  is shown that may be moved further into the hollow space  2  by a respective mechanism. The window  4 , however, is not relevant for the present invention. 
         [0020]    The motor vehicle door lock  3  comprises an inside locking lever  5  that is part of the lock mechanism. The inside locking lever  5  is coupled to an inside safety element  6  via a connecting rod  7 . The inside safety element  6  is located in such a way that it is actuatable by a passenger sitting inside the motor vehicle. By this activation, the motor vehicle door lock  3  may be switched into the locked and into the unlocked state. 
         [0021]    The door body  1  has a wall segment  1   a  which separates the hollow space  2  from the passenger compartment. It is to be understood that this expression presently has a broad meaning. For example additional panel elements can be provided on the wall segment  1   a  as will be described. The wall segment  1   a  has a passage opening  8  through which the connecting rod  7  extends. 
         [0022]    The connecting rod  7  is at least a two part component comprising an upper connecting rod  7   a  and a lower connecting rod  7   b . In a preferred embodiment, the connecting rod  7  comprises only those two components, namely the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b . The upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b  are coupled to each other at a coupling position  9 , which coupling position  9  is outside of the hollow space  2  in proximity to the passage opening  8 . 
         [0023]    It can also be seen from  FIG. 4  that the coupling position  9  is not located at an end of the connecting rod  7 , but rather in the area of the midsection of the connecting rod  7 , which leads to the above noted advantage related to creation of a comparably short lower connecting rod  7   b.    
         [0024]    The above construction of the connecting rod  7  as an at least two part component is mainly advantageous in view of the mounting process of the motor vehicle door lock. 
         [0025]    Another advantage of the at least two part construction of the connecting rod  7 , however, is the fact that, in the case of a crash, the coupling between the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b  has a pre-determined breaking point. With this, the crash characteristics of the motor vehicle door, in view of the breakage of the connecting rod  7 , is well controllable. 
         [0026]    The preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 4  comprises an inside door panel  10  which is mounted on the door body  1  facing the passenger compartment. The inside safety element  6  is situated at the inside door panel  10 . Preferably, the inside safety element  6  is situated inside the door panel  10  and, moreover, extends through the inside door panel  10 . However, it is also possible that the inside safety element  6  is situated beside the inside door panel  10 . 
         [0027]    Preferably, the inside door panel  10  comprises a passage opening  11  for the inside safety element  6 , wherein the passage opening  11  in the inside panel  10  is spaced from the passage opening  8  in said wall segment  1   a  of the door body  1 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , the spacing between the passage opening  11  in the door panel  10  and the passage opening  8  in the wall segment  1   a  extends mainly in a vertical direction. 
         [0028]    In all preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, a coupling element  12  is provided for coupling the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b . It is especially advantageous for the mounting process if the coupling element  12  is realized as a snap-on connection. Two examples of such a snap-on connection are shown in  FIG. 5  and in  FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 . 
         [0029]    In order to ensure a reliable transmission of actuation force via the connecting rod  7 , it is preferred that at least the free end  7   a ′,  7   b ′ of at least one of the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b  has a 90° bent end portion and that the coupling element  12  has one opening  13  or two openings  13 ,  14  for reception of the one end portion or the two end portions. 
         [0030]    According to a preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , which may be applied to the arrangement shown in  FIG. 3 , the free ends  7   a ′,  7   b ′ of both the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b  have respective 90° bent end portions. The coupling element  12  has two channel-like receivers  15 ,  16  for the two free ends  7   a ′,  7   b ′. The side walls  17 ,  18  of the receivers  15 ,  16  are bendable such that they form a spring element for the respective free end  7   a ′,  7   b′.    
         [0031]    For coupling the upper connecting rod  7   a  to the lower connecting rod  7   b  both free ends  7   a ′,  7   b ′ are guided through the openings  13 ,  14  in the coupling element  12  and pushed into the channel like receivers  15 ,  16  until the spring like sidewalls  17 ,  18  snap into their respective locking position. This locking position is shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0032]    During the mounting process, it may be advantageous that the coupling element  12  is already fixed to one of the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b.    
         [0033]    Another preferred embodiment of the coupling element  12  is shown in  FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 . In this case, the coupling element  12  is formed as part of the upper connecting rod  7   a  and even with the inside safety element  6 . 
         [0034]    The coupling element  12  comprises an opening  14  for reception of the free end  7   b ′ of the lower connecting rod  7   b , which has a 90° bent portion as described above. Further the coupling element  12  comprises a channel like reception  16  for the free end  7 W. The fully coupled state is shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0035]    For the coupling process the coupling element  12  comprises an insertion hole  19  through which the bent end portion of the free end  7   b ′ is to be inserted and then guided through into the opening  14 . This pre-mounted engagement position is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0036]    The coupling may be locked by pivoting the upper connecting rod  7   a  from the pre-mounted position ( FIG. 6 ) into the mounted position ( FIG. 7 ) around a pivot axis  20  that is oriented mainly perpendicular to the overall extension  21  of the connecting rod  7  in its mounted condition. The pivot range of the upper connecting rod  7   a  is about 90° as shown in  FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 . 
         [0037]    The upper connecting rod  7   a  and the inside safety element  6  are preferably a one piece component, as is shown in  FIG. 6 . This leads to a reduction of the number of components and accordingly to a reduction of costs. The same is to be said when the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the coupling element  12  are a one piece component, as also shown in  FIG. 6 . A maximum decrease in costs may be achieved when the upper connecting rod  7   a , the inside safety element  6  and the coupling element  12  are altogether a one piece component. Again, this is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0038]    The method for mounting the motor vehicle door lock  3  to the motor vehicle door shown in the drawings will be now be described in detail. 
         [0039]    The method applies to a motor vehicle door as described above comprising a door body  1  providing a hollow space  2 . Accordingly, the motor vehicle door lock  3  comprises an inside locking lever  5  that in the mounted condition is coupled to an inside safety element  6  via a connecting rod  7 . The door body  1  has a wall segment  1   a  which bounds the hollow space  2  from the passenger compartment and which has a passage opening  8  through which in the mounted condition the connecting rod  7  extends. Here, the connecting rod  7  is a two part component and may also be a multiple part component that comprises at least an upper connecting rod  7   a  and a lower connecting rod  7   b.    
         [0040]    First of all, according to the method of the invention, it is proposed to couple the lower connecting rod  7   b  to the inside locking lever  5 . This is shown in  FIG. 1 . In a second mounting step, the motor vehicle door lock  3 , together with the lower connecting rod  7   b  is moved into the hollow space  2  while guiding the lower connecting rod  7   b  through the passage opening  8 . For this second mounting step, a mounting opening  22  is located in the wall segment  1   a . This is shown by example in  FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 . Due to the fact that the lower connecting rod  7   b  has a short dimension, this mounting step, including guiding the lower connecting rod  7   b  through the passage opening  8 , is very easy to perform. The completion of the second mounting step is shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0041]    In a third mounting step, the upper connecting rod  7   a  is coupled to the lower connecting rod  7   b  at the coupling position  9 , which coupling position  9  is outside the hollow space  2  in proximity of the passage opening  8 . Due to the fact that the coupling position  9  is outside the hollow space  2 , the coupling of the upper connecting rod  7   a  to the lower connecting rod  7   b  is possible without any effort at all. The completion of the third mounting step is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0042]    According to the construction of the motor vehicle door it may in a fourth step be necessary to mount an inside door panel  10  onto the door body  1  facing the passenger compartment, thereby guiding one of the inside safety element  6  and the upper connecting rod  7   a  through a passage opening  11  in the inside door panel  10 . The completion of the fourth mounting step is shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0043]    When using the preferred embodiment of the coupling element  12  shown in  FIG. 5 , the coupling between the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b  requires a linear movement between the free ends  7   a ′,  7   b ′ of the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b  relative to the coupling element  12 . 
         [0044]    According to the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 , however, the above coupling includes a pivoting movement of the upper connecting rod  7   a.    
         [0045]    First of all, the upper connecting rod  7   a  is moved into the above noted pre-mounted engagement position shown in  FIG. 6  with the bent end portion of the free end  7   b ′ already positioned in the opening  14  of the coupling element  12 . The coupling is then locked by pivoting the upper connecting rod  7   a  from the pre-mounted engagement position into the mounted position around a pivot axis  20  that is oriented mainly perpendicular to the overall extension  21  of the connecting rod  7  in its mounted condition. While pivoting the upper connecting rod  7   a , as described above, the straight part of the free end  7   b ′ enters the channel-like reception  16  of the coupling element  12 . 
         [0046]    The only way to unlock the coupling is by pivoting the upper connecting rod  7   a  in the opposite direction, in  FIG. 7  counterclockwise. After the inside door panel  10  has been mounted ( FIG. 4 ), however, this unlocking is no longer possible. This leads to high safety regarding unwanted decoupling of the upper connecting rod  7   a  and the lower connecting rod  7   b.    
         [0047]    With regard to applying the above method to the preferred embodiment of  FIGS. 6 &amp; 7 , it is noted that the pivot range of the upper connecting rod  7   a  for locking said coupling is preferably about 90°.