Abstract:
The disclosure relates to a door lock for an automobile vehicle, including a lock casing with at least two compartments, the first being a retention compartment containing retention parts, such as a latch bolt intended to engage and hold a striker, and a pawl intended to block the latch bolt in its striker holding position, and the second being a kinematic compartment containing parts used to control the inside and outside opening and locking/unlocking of the lock, the compartments providing, for the retention and control parts, mounting planes parallel to the transverse vertical plane of the vehicle, said retention compartment including a striker slot opening in the transverse direction and receiving a striker during door closing, wherein said casing has a plane of symmetry parallel to the longitudinal vertical plane or to the longitudinal horizontal plane of the vehicle, to enable use of the same casing for either a left door or a right door.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns an automobile vehicle door lock using an electrical or mechanical control for opening and locking/unlocking. 
     FIG. 1 shows an automobile vehicle V whose longitudinal direction is labeled X, the transverse direction Y and the vertical direction Z. The lock is generally mounted in the rear edge of a door, the edge lying in a plane substantially parallel to the vertical transverse plane YZ of the vehicle, when the door is closed. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Vehicle door locks generally include a lock casing with at least two compartments. One is the so-called retention compartment containing retention parts, such as a latch-bolt intended to engage and hold a striker, and a pawl used to block the latch-bolt in its striker-holding position. Another compartment is the so-called kinematic compartment containing parts that control the inside and outside opening and locking/unlocking of the lock. The compartments define, for said parts, mounting planes parallel to the plane YZ. The retention compartment includes a tapered striker slot opening notably in the Y direction towards the inside of the vehicle; as the door closes this slot receives a striker fixed to the structure of the vehicle, notably to a door pillar. 
     It is then necessary to manufacture lock casings and parts that are different for left doors and right doors, which increases the total number of parts necessary to make all the locks of a vehicle, and thereby the overall cost of the locks. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the invention is to propose a lock for automobile vehicle doors that can be used for both left doors and right doors. 
     For this purpose, the object of the invention is a lock for the door of an automobile vehicle, including a lock casing with at least two compartments, the first being a so-called retention compartment containing retention parts, such as a latch-bolt intended to engage and hold a striker, and a pawl intended to block said latch-bolt in its striker-holding position, and the second being a so-called kinematic compartment containing parts used to control the inside and outside opening and locking/unlocking of the lock, said compartments providing, for said retention and control parts, mounting planes parallel to the vertical transverse plane YZ of the vehicle, said retention compartment including a striker slot opening in the transverse direction Y and receiving a striker during door closing, wherein said casing has a plane of symmetry parallel to the longitudinal vertical plane XZ or to the longitudinal horizontal plane XY of the vehicle, to enable use of the same casing for either a left door or a right door. 
     It is advantageous that most of the parts of the lock, or even all the parts, have a plane of symmetry parallel or perpendicular to their mounting plane, to enable use of the same parts in either a left door or a right door. 
     In a first embodiment, the lock casing has a plane of symmetry in XY that passes through the axis of the striker slot which enables use of the same casing for a left door or a right door, by rotating the casing through 180° about an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle. 
     In this case, the articulation axes of the latch-bolt and the pawl in the retention compartment of the casing can be made symmetrical with respect to the axis of the striker slot so that they can be inverted with respect to said axes and therefore be fitted in a left or right door lock. 
     It is also possible to provide articulation axes and apertures in the casing allowing displacement of control parts that are symmetrical with respect to the plane of symmetry XY of the casing, since this enables said parts to be mounted on either side of said plane of symmetry, depending on whether the lock is intended for a left door or a right door. 
     In another embodiment, the lock casing has a plane of symmetry in XZ, the striker slot opening in the Y direction towards the two opposite sides of the casing, to enable the casing to be mounted in the same position, whether the lock is intended for a left door or a right door. 
     In this case, the articulation axes of the latch-bolt and the pawl in the retention compartment of the casing can lie in the plane of symmetry of the casing, enabling the latch-bolt and the pawl to remain mounted on their respective axes, whether the lock is intended for a left door or a right door. 
     According to another characteristic of the invention, at least one of said parts, for example the latch-bolt, the pawl or a lock actuator, has a plane of symmetry perpendicular to its mounting plane, to enable use of the same part in a left door lock or a right door lock, by rotating the part through an angle between 0° and 180° about an axis parallel to the X direction. 
     In this case, the latch-bolt can be fork-shaped with two branches symmetrical with respect to its plane of symmetry that passes through the axis of rotation of the latch-bolt. The pawl can be anchor-shaped with two lateral notches symmetrical with respect to its plane of symmetry that passes through the axis of rotation of the pawl. The lock actuator can have two arms that extend substantially perpendicularly and symmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry of the casing, this plane passing through the axis of rotation of the lock actuator. 
     Another characteristic of the invention is that at least one of the parts, for example the latch-bolt, the pawl, an outside opening lever, a lock actuator, an outside locking lever or a pawl maneuvering part, has a plane of symmetry parallel to its mounting plane, to enable use of the same part in a left door lock or a right door lock, by rotating said part through an angle of 180° about an axis parallel to the Y or Z direction. 
     It is advantageous that the casing be mounted on an L-section metal backplate whose large face lies substantially in a plane parallel to the mounting plane YZ mentioned previously and whose small face lies substantially in a plane parallel to the longitudinal vertical plane XZ of the vehicle, at the end of the striker slot, said backplate having the same plane of symmetry as the casing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear on reading the description below of several embodiments, given only as non-limitative examples, making reference to the attached drawings of which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an automobile vehicle; 
     FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a part having a plane of symmetry parallel to its mounting plane in YZ; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a part having a plane of symmetry perpendicular to its mounting plane; 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic view in plane of the retention compartment of a lock corresponding to a first embodiment of the invention, intended for a left door, and whose casing has a plane of symmetry in XY; 
     FIG. 5 is a view similar to that in FIG. 4, after inversion of the mountings of the latch-bolt and pawl, and rotating of the latch-bolt and pawl through 180° about a Y axis; 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to that in FIG. 5, after rotating of the lock casing through 180° about an X axis, corresponding to a lock for a right door; 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to that in FIG. 4, but showing a casing having a plane of symmetry in XZ, and a pawl and latch-bolt having a plane of symmetry perpendicular to their mounting plane; 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of a latch-bolt and a pawl whose shapes are suitable for use in a lock corresponding to FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view of a latch-bolt and a pawl in a variant of an embodiment, for a left door lock whose casing has a plane of symmetry in XY; 
     FIG. 10 is a view similar to that of FIG. 9, but showing the latch-bolt a the pawl after inversion of their mounting positions on their respective axes; 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a variant of a lock according to the invention, equipped with the latch-bolt and pawl of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view of another variant of lock according to the invention, viewed from the side of its kinematic compartment, with the parts mounted in their position for a left door; 
     FIG. 13 is a view similar to that of FIG. 12, with the parts mounted in their position for a right door. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 2 shows a part  1  that is substantially flat and has ribs  1   a  on its upper face and ribs  1   b  on its upper surface, these ribs  1   a  and  1   b  being symmetrically positioned with respect to a plane P 1 . The plane P 1  is the median plane of the part  1  passing through its mounting plane, for example a plane parallel to the vertical transverse plane YZ of the vehicle V. The part  1  is therefore in the form of a double-faced part, each facing being the inverted image of the other face. 
     FIG. 3 shows a substantially flat part  2  that has a rib  2   a  and a rib  2   b , these ribs  2   a  and  2   b  being symmetrically positioned with respect to a plane P 2 . The plane P 2  is perpendicular to the mounting plane of the part  2 , for example parallel to a longitudinal vertical plane XZ, as shown in FIG.  3 . The plane P 2  could also be parallel to a longitudinal horizontal plane XY of the vehicle V. 
     FIGS. 4 to  6  show a lock whose casing  3  has a plane of symmetry perpendicular to its mounting plane, which is a plane parallel to the plane XY of the vehicle. The axis A of the striker slot  4  of the casing  3  extends in the direction Y and lies in the plane of symmetry XY of the casing. In addition, the articulation axes  5  and  6  of a pawl  7  and a latch-bolt  8  respectively, are parallel and lie the same plane parallel to the plane XZ of the vehicle. The axes  5  and  6  both lie at a distance d from axis A of the striker slot. The lock shown in FIG. 4 is intended to a left side door of the vehicle V. 
     To change to a lock destined for a right side door, the mounting positions of the pawl  7  and the latch-bolt  8  on the axes  5  and  6  are inverted, as shown in FIG.  5 . In this case, the latch-bolt  8  articulates on the axis  5  and the pawl  7  articulates on the axis  6 . In addition, the pawl  7  and the latch-bolt  8  are symmetrical in the sense of FIG. 2, in other words they have a plane of symmetry parallel to their mounting plane which is a plane in YZ. Consequently, these parts can be turned over onto their opposite face by rotating through an angle of 180° about an axis parallel to the Y direction, as in FIG.  5 . 
     For a right door, the casing  3  is also turned through 180° about an axis parallel to the X direction, as shown in FIG. 6, such that the striker slot  4  opens in the opposite direction to that shown in FIG.  4 . In this manner a left-hand door lock and a right-hand door lock both use the same casing and the same components in the retention compartment of the lock. It would be possible, of course, to turn the casing first, then invert the mounting of the pawl and latch-bolt. 
     FIG. 7 represents another embodiment of the lock that includes a casing  13  having a plane of symmetry perpendicular to its mounting plane, which is here a plane parallel to the plane XZ of the vehicle. In this case, the striker slot  14  includes two parts  14   a  and  14   b  that open in the Y direction on each side of the casing. In addition, the axes of rotation  15  and  16  of the pawl  17  and the latch-bolt  18  respectively, are parallel with each other and lie in the plane XZ, such that the distance e between said axes  15  and  16  and each lateral edge of the casing is identical. 
     In the position of the pawl  17  shown as a solid line in FIG. 7, the lock is intended for a left door. The striker is intended to cooperate with the latch-bolt  18  by passing through the part  14   a  of the striker slot  14 . When the door is closed, the pawl  17  blocks the branch  18   b  of the forked latch-bolt  18 , preventing it from pivoting clockwise to its position when the door is open. 
     To change to a lock intended for a right door, the casing  13  is placed in the same position in the edge of the right door. In this case, the striker is intended to cooperate with the latch-bolt  18  by passing through the part  14   b  of the striker slot  14 , and the pawl  17  is in the position shown as a dashed line where is blocks the other branch  18   a  of the forked latch-bolt  18 . 
     In FIG. 7, the latch-bolt  18  and the pawl  17  have a plane of symmetry perpendicular to their mounting plane, to enable use of the same pawl and the same latch-bolt in either a left door lock or a right door lock, without inverting their mounting face but simply pivoting the pawl and latch-bolt around the X axis. In particular, the forked latch-bolt  18  here has two branches  18   a ,  18   b  that are positioned symmetrically with respect to a plane perpendicular to the mounting plane and passing through the axis of rotation  16  of the latch-bolt. 
     FIG. 8 shows a special form of the latch-bolt  8  and the pawl in the intermediate position corresponding to FIG.  5 . The pawl  7  includes on one side a hook  7   a  that is intended to hold a matching notch  8   a  on one of the branches of the forked latch-bolt  8 . The latch-bolt  8  also includes a lateral projection  8   b  and the pawl has a bore  7   b  whose purposes will be explained with reference to FIG.  11 . 
     In the variant of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the latch-bolt  8  does not have the projection  8   b . The pawl  17  is anchor-shaped with two hooks  17   a ,  17   c  on its two opposite sides, positioned symmetrically with respect to a plane perpendicular to its mounting plane and passing through its axis of rotation. The pawl  17  also includes a projecting stud  17   b  lying in the plane of symmetry of the pawl; its function will be explained with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. 
     To change from the left door mounting position shown in FIG. 9 to the intermediate position represented in FIG. 10, the pawl  17  and the latch-bolt  8  are mounted by inverting their axes of rotation; the latch-bolt  8  is turned over, due to its symmetry parallel to its mounting plane, whereas the pawl  17 , that has a symmetry perpendicular to its mounting plane, is not turned over. The hook  17   a  of the pawl  17  then engages the notch  8   a  of the latch-bolt  8 , whereas in the position of FIG. 9 the hook  17   c  of the pawl  17  engages the notch  8   a  of the latch-bolt  8 . 
     In FIG. 11, we see that the casing  3  defines a first compartment known as the “retention” compartment  3   a  that houses the pawl  7  and the latch-bolt  8 , which are identical to those in FIG. 8, and a second so-called “kinematic” compartment  3   b  that houses the control parts of the lock. The two compartments  3   a  and  3   b  are separated by a transverse partition  3   c  that lies in a plane YZ. The retention compartment  3   a  is closed by a metal backplate of known design (not shown). The kinematic compartment  3   b  is covered by a lid or by another casing containing electric drive motors when the lock has an electrical opening and/or locking control. 
     The kinematic compartment  3   b  of the casing  3  contains an outside locking lever (OLL)  20  of which one end  20   a  projects outside the casing where is cooperates with a lock cylinder (not shown) for mechanical locking/unlocking of the lock. At its other end, the OLL  20  includes a hole  20   b  that is intended to align with a hole  21  in the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3 , next to the striker slot  4 , and lying in the plane of symmetry XY of the casing. The kinematic compartment  3   b  also contains a lock actuator  22  that has a projecting stud  22   a  on its face opposite the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3 , said stud  22   a  being intended to fit in a circular arc-shaped hole  20   c  in the OLL  20 , to make the OLL  20  and the lock actuator  22  rotate together, with a slight degree of freedom, for reasons given later. The lock actuator  22  can include, at its center and near the stud  22   a , a toothed sector  22   b  that engages a pinion driven by an electric motor, in the case of a lock with electrical locking/unlocking control. The lock actuator  22  includes two arms extending in opposite directions, symmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry XY passing through the stud  22   a , each arm having a circular arc-shaped hole  22   c  and, at its end free, a projecting stud  27  that extends to the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3 . Each projecting stud  27  is intended to penetrate an aperture  26  provided in the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3 , on each side of its plane of symmetry. Each aperture  26  comprises two sections  26   a  and  26   b , both circular arc-shaped, that extend substantially at right angles to each other. Each stud  27  is intended to move in the widest section  26   a.    
     The circular arc-shaped hole  22   c  of the lock actuator  22  is provided to receive a projecting stud  28   a  of an intermediate lever  28 , this stud  28   a  extending on each side of the plane of the intermediate lever  28 , to enable it to be turned over for a right door lock. At the end opposite the double-ended stud  28   a , the intermediate lever  28  includes a fork  28   b  that engages an articulation axis  25  projecting perpendicularly from the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3 , inside the kinematic compartment  3   b . This articulation axis  25  is duplicated in the casing  3 , the two axes  25  being positioned symmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry XY of the casing. 
     A dummy pawl  23  is inserted between the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3  and the intermediate lever  28 . This dummy pawl  23  has a bore  23   c  to enable it to be fitted on the articulation axis  25 . The dummy pawl  23  also has a projecting stud  23   a  located symmetrically with respect to its mounting plane. This stud  23   a,  pointing towards the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3 , is intended to penetrate the circular arc-shaped section  26   b  of the aperture  26  mentioned previously, so as to engage the bore  7   b  in the pawl  7 , to move it between its of blocking and freeing positions of the latch-bolt  8 . Given that the stud  23   a  also projects in the direction away from the casing  3 , it is necessary to provide on the intermediate lever  28  a C-shaped recess  28   c  so that the intermediate lever does not interfere with this stud  23   a  on the dummy pawl  23 . The stud  28   a  of the intermediate lever  28 , which projects towards the casing  3 , is intended to come into contact with a face  23   b  of the dummy pawl  23  to make it pivot around the articulation axis  25 . 
     An outside opening lever (OOL)  24  is interposed between the intermediate lever  28  and the lock actuator  22 . The OOL  24  is intended to be connected by a control rod or cable (not shown) to an outside door handle (not shown), by its end  24   a  which projects from the casing  3  through a slot  29  that is positioned symmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry of the casing. The OOL  24  has a bore  24   c  to enable it to be fitted on the articulation axis  25  mentioned previously. At its opposite end, the OOL  24  includes a substantially L-shaped aperture  24   b  which is penetrated by the stud  28   a  projecting from the intermediate lever  28 . The OOL  24  also includes a circular arc-shaped aperture  24   d  which is penetrated by the stud  23   a  on the dummy pawl  23  to avoid any interference between this stud  23   a  and the OOL  24 . 
     The lock actuator  22  includes at its center a projecting spigot  22   d  that extends on each side of its plane and whose ends fit respectively the hole  20   b  of the OLL  20  and the hole  21  of the casing  3 , to provide an axis of rotation both for the lock actuator  22  and the OLL  20 . 
     The operation of the lock illustrated in FIG. 11 will now be briefly explained. 
     In the locked position of the lock, the lock actuator  22  is turned anti-clockwise so that its stud  27 , situated on the right in FIG. 11, moves to the intersection of the two sections  26   a  and  26   b  of the aperture  26 . Simultaneously, the circular arc-shaped hole  22   c  on the opposite arm of the lock actuator  22 , moves the upper stud  28   a  of the intermediate lever  28  into the section of the L-shaped aperture  24   b  of the OOL  24  that extends substantially over a circular arc centered on the axis  25 . Therefore, when the user operates the outside handle of the door, to pivot the OOL  24  clockwise around the articulation axis  25 , the stud  28   a  of the intermediate lever  28  slides freely in the aperture  24   b , making the OOL  24  inoperative. 
     To unlock the lock, the user can use his key to turn the lock cylinder, making the OLL  20  pivot clockwise. The pivoting of the OLL  20  moves the lock actuator  22  clockwise, thanks to the engagement of the stud  22   a  in the elongated hole  20   c  of the OLL  20 . The hole  20   c  is made elongated to enable automatic return of the OLL  20  to its original position, under the return spring action of the lock cylinder. When pivoting the lock actuator clockwise, the circular arc-shaped hole  22   c  causes linear displacement of the stud  28   a  of the intermediate lever  28  in the other section of the L-shaped aperture  24   b , that extends substantially radially to the axis  25 , this linear displacement being possible thanks to the fork  28   b  of the lever  28  that engages the articulation axis  25 . We also note that the stud  27 , located on the right of FIG. 11, is now displaced to the end free of the section  26   a  of the aperture  26  of the casing  3 . 
     Consequently, when the user operates the outside door handle, the OOL  24  can drive the stud  28   a  of the intermediate lever  28 , since this is engaged in the L-shaped aperture  24   b . The clockwise pivoting of the lever  24  causes clockwise pivoting of the intermediate lever  28 , the upper stud  28   a  of the intermediate lever  28  moving freely in the circular arc-shaped hole  22   c  of the lock actuator  22 . Simultaneously, the lower stud  28   a  of the intermediate lever  28  comes into contact with the face  23   b  of the dummy pawl  23  and makes it pivot clockwise. The lower stud  23   a  of the dummy pawl  23  simultaneously causes clockwise rotation of the pawl  7 , which frees the latch-bolt  8 . 
     When the latch-bolt  8  moves to its open position, the projection  8   b  partially obstructs the section  26   a  of the aperture  26 , thus preventing the stud  27  of the lock actuator  22  from returning to its locked position. In this way locking interdiction is achieved when the door is open. 
     To change from a left door lock to a right door lock, the lock actuator  22  is retained in the same position, owing to its plane of symmetry perpendicular to its mounting plane. The OOL  24 , the OLL  20 , the intermediate lever  28  and the dummy pawl  23  are turned over, thanks to their plane of symmetry parallel to their mounting plane. The OOL  24 , the intermediate lever  28  and the dummy pawl  23  are then mounted on the other articulation axis  25 . 
     In the variant illustrated in FIG. 12, we see part of the metal backplate  9  whose section is substantially L-shaped; its large face lies in a plane YZ and its small face lies in a plane XZ, at the end of the striker slot  4 . It is advantageous that the backplate  9  has the same symmetry characteristics as the lock assembly so that it too can be mounted on a left or right door. 
     In this variant, the kinematic compartment  3   b  of the casing  3  contains an outside locking lever (OLL)  30  of which one end  30   a  projects from the casing where it is intended to cooperate with a lock cylinder for mechanical locking/unlocking of the lock. The other end  30   b  of the OLL  30  includes a bore for its articulation on a spigot  31  that projects on each side of the plane of a lock actuator  32 . The lower spigot  31  traverses the hole  21  of the casing  3 , as in FIG.  11 . The lock actuator  32  has at its center an elongated opening  32   a  which engages a stud (not shown) projecting from the back of the OLL  30  to make the OLL  30  and the lock actuator  32  rotate together, with a slight degree of freedom. The lock actuator  32  includes at the end of one of its arms a toothed sector  32   b  intended to engage a pinion driven by an electric motor, for a lock with electrical locking/unlocking control. The opposite arm of the lock actuator  32  includes a circular arc-shaped hole  32   c , which engages a stud  38   a  projecting from an intermediate lever  38  (not shown in the drawings). The intermediate lever  38  is analog to the lever  28  described previously, except that it does not have the recess  28   c , since the dummy pawl  33  no longer includes a projecting stud but rather a bore that engages the projecting stud  17   b  of the pawl  17  illustrated in FIG.  9 . 
     An outside opening lever (OOL)  34  is interposed between the intermediate lever  38  and the lock actuator  32 ; this is intended to be connected by a control rod or cable (not shown) to an outside door handle (not shown), by its end  34   a  which projects from the casing  3  through a slot  29 . The OOL  34  articulates on a rotation axis  25 . At its opposite end, the OOL  34  includes a slot  34   b  that is substantially L-shaped through which the stud  38   a  of the intermediate lever  38  can pass. The projecting stud  38   a  extends on each side of the plane of the intermediate lever, so as to cooperate with the dummy pawl  33 . The stud  17   b  of the pawl  17  traverses a circular arc-shaped aperture  36  in the bottom  3   c  of the casing  3  to engage in the bore of the dummy pawl  33 . 
     The lock actuator  32  also includes near its hole  32   c , a boss  37  that extends on each side of its plane. This boss  37  cooperates with an edge face  33   b  of the dummy pawl  33 , as explained later. 
     The projecting spigot  31  has a diametrical groove  31   a  at each of its two ends. The diametrical groove  31   a  on the side towards the retention compartment  3   a  provides a back-up means of locking (the user can pivot the spigot  31  by introducing the end of his key into this groove  31   a , via the edge of the door). 
     We note that in the OOL  34  the aperture  24   d  of the OOL  24  has been eliminated, since the dummy pawl  33  no longer has a projecting stud. 
     The operation of the lock in FIG. 12 will now be described briefly. 
     In the position shown in FIG. 12, the lock is in its unlocked, closed position. When the user operates the outside door handle, the OOL  34  pivots anti-clockwise around the axis  25 , which moves the stud  38   a  downwards, since this can move freely in the circular arc-shaped hole  32   c  of the lock actuator  32 . The displacement of the opposite projecting part of the stud  38   a  causes the dummy pawl  33  to pivot, thereby freeing of the pawl  17  to open the lock. 
     When the user operates the inside door handle, an inside opening lever (not shown) cooperates with the dummy pawl  33 , moving it anti-clockwise, which simultaneously drives the stud  38   a  of the intermediate lever  38 . 
     When the latch-bolt  8  is moved into its open position, the pawl  17  is held by the latch-bolt  8  in its withdrawn position, such that the dummy pawl  33  comes into contact by its edge  33   b  against the lower boss  37  of the lock actuator  32 . In this manner, the dummy pawl  33  prevents the displacement of the lock actuator  32  into its locked position, when the door is open. However, as this function is necessary only for the front driver door which is the only one equipped with a cylinder, for the front and rear passenger doors it is sufficient to use a dummy pawl having an elongated bore for its mounting on the articulation axis  25  to inhibit the locking interdiction function when the door is open. 
     To lock the lock, the user turns the lock actuator  32  clockwise, to bring the stud  38   a  in front of the large section of the L-shaped slot  34   b  of the outside opening lever  34 . The pivoting of the lock actuator  32  can be achieved by the toothed sector  32   b , if the lock is electrically controlled, or by the outside locking lever  30 , under the action of the lock cylinder. Simultaneously, the lower boss  37  of the lock actuator  32  finds itself in contact with the edge  33   b  of the dummy pawl  33 . 
     Therefore, when the user operates the outside door handle, the OOL  34  pivots anti-clockwise but no longer drives the stud  38   a  since this can slide freely in the large section of the L-shaped slot  34   b.    
     On the other hand, when the user operates the inside door handle, the dummy pawl  33  pivots anti-clockwise and its edge  33   b  pushes the boss  37  of the lock actuator  32 , thereby moving it into its unlocked position. We therefore achieve automatic unlocking during the opening from the inside, this operation being known as “override”. The switching of the lock actuator  32  between its locked position and its unlocked position, during override, is possible thanks to the arc-shaped slot  32   a  in the lock actuator  32 , such that the OLL  30  is not displaced during automatic unlocking on opening. 
     FIG. 13 represents the same casing  3  and the same parts in the kinematic compartment, but positioned for a right door lock. 
     The casing  3  has a plane of symmetry in XY; the circular arc-shaped aperture  36  and the axis  35  are duplicated, on each side of this plane. 
     The OOL  34 , the lock actuator  32 , the dummy pawl  33  and the intermediate lever  38  all have a plane of symmetry parallel to their mounting plane, such that they can be used for a left lock or a right lock, by turning them over. The OLL  30  has a plane of symmetry perpendicular to its mounting plane, so it can be used in the same position for a left or right lock. 
     Although the invention has been illustrated by certain embodiments, it is in no way limited to these, and it will be clear to professionals of the art that numerous technical variants are possible while remaining within the framework of the invention.