MOTOR VEHICLE LOCK

A motor vehicle lock comprising a locking mechanism which essentially consists of a rotary latch and a pawl, further comprising a drive and a securing element. The drive acts on the securing element via a toothed rack element that is equipped with a blocking element. According to the invention, the blocking element is in the form of a tilting lever defining at least two end positions of the toothed rack element.

The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock comprising a locking mechanism which essentially consists of a rotary latch and a pawl, further comprising a drive and a securing element, wherein the drive acts on the securing element via a toothed rack element that is equipped with a blocking element.

Motor vehicle locks typically have a central locking system and, if necessary, an anti-theft device. With the help of the central locking system, all doors equipped with an associated motor vehicle lock can be locked together. As a result, access from the outside is generally not possible, but the motor vehicle doors in question can nevertheless be opened from the inside of the motor vehicle. If an anti-theft device is additionally implemented, opening from the inside is also suppressed in the “theft-proof” state, so that the motor vehicle in question cannot be opened even if the window of the associated motor vehicle door is smashed.

Appropriate mechanisms are provided for locking such a motor vehicle lock and also for inserting an anti-theft device, which mostly work in a rotary or linear manner. In this way, the associated motor vehicle lock is transferred to its locked or unlocked state or its theft-proof or non-theft-proof state.

In addition, however, a child safety function can in principle also be implemented, specifically generally on rear motor vehicle side doors. In the “child-proof” position, the motor vehicle lock in question cannot be opened from the inside, but it can be opened from the outside. As in the case of the anti-theft device, the child safety device can basically be inserted with the help of a drive. In addition, mechanical solutions for operating the child safety device are known.

The term “securing element” is to be interpreted broadly within the scope of the present application. In fact, this can be a locking element as well as an anti-theft element. This also includes a child safety element. As a result, it should generally be possible to set completely different functional positions of the motor vehicle lock with the help of the securing element.

If an accident occurs in a motor vehicle equipped with such a motor vehicle lock, the adjustment from a locked position to an unlocked position or, in the case of an anti-theft device, the adjustment from a secured position to an unlocked position should generally be avoided in order to prevent accidental door openings. For this purpose, the generic state of the art according to DE 10 2014 000 680 A1 works with a so-called position securing device.

The position securing device is provided for a slidably mounted carriage and serves to secure the position of the slidably mounted carriage. For this purpose, the position securing device in the known teaching comprises a tilting device with the aid of which the carriage can be tilted in the event of an excessively high acceleration. As a result, a reliable mode of operation is implemented and made available overall, taking into account a small-sized position securing device.

Instead of such a position securing device, it is also possible in principle to proceed in such a way that a drive for the respective securing element is transferred back into its basic position after the securing element has been acted upon. Such a procedure decouples the drive from the securing element, so to speak, so that, for example, impacts on the drive caused by a crash do not act on the securing element.

In addition, in the state of the art, efforts are made in principle to reduce the design effort. For this purpose, the generic state of the art according to DE 10 2014 000 680 A1 already works with a motor or a drive in order to change both the position of a lock and an anti-theft device as required.

The position that has been set is then secured with the help of the additional position securing device provided. This is relatively expensive, because the position securing device requires a special spring designed as a double-acting pincer spring for its realization. The invention as a whole seeks to remedy this.

The invention is based on the technical problem of further developing such a motor vehicle lock in such a way that different securing positions can be reproducibly and safely and reliably adopted while taking into account a structurally simple structure.

To solve this technical problem, a generic motor vehicle lock is characterized within the scope of the invention in that the blocking element is designed as a tilting lever defining at least two end positions of the toothed rack element.

Due to the special blocking element designed as a tilting lever, at least two end positions of the toothed rack element can be defined and implemented according to the invention. These two end positions can belong, for example, to the functional positions “child-proof” and “theft-proof.” As a result, there is the possibility within the scope of the invention not only of being able to clearly distinguish between these two functional positions. Instead, only one (single) drive for the toothed rack element is required for this, which in turn works on the securing element. This allows the design effort to be reduced because the anti-theft function and the child safety function do not require their own drive.

Rather, according to the invention, the one (single) drive is used in order to be able to map both the child safety function and the anti-theft function via the toothed rack element. This is possible because the respective end positions “child-proof” or “theft-proof” belong to different end positions of the toothed rack element, which in turn are approached with the help of the blocking element designed as a tilting lever in a targeted and precisely positioned manner. In contrast, the functional positions “non-child-proof” and “non-anti-theft” correspond to a common initial position of the toothed rack element before it is actuated. In this way, the overall design effort is reduced and the functional reliability is increased because the blocking element or the tilting lever directly defines the two end positions of the toothed rack element.

In order to realize and implement this in detail, the tilting lever is usually connected to the toothed rack element. In principle, this can be done in such a way that the tilting lever is connected in an articulated manner to the toothed rack element by means of a transmission lever. The tilting lever and the transmission lever are generally mounted coaxially relative to one another. In addition, in this context, the tilting lever is usually also equipped with a restoring spring.

This restoring spring is advantageously a bistable spring, i.e., a spring that allows acting in one direction and also in its opposite direction and ensures a corresponding restoring movement into a middle position or middle 0 position after the force acting on it has ceased. In principle and advantageously, however, it is also possible to work with a simple torsion spring. That ultimately depends on how the position of the individual functional positions is implemented and realized with the help of the toothed rack element.

The tilting lever is usually equipped with two blocking legs in a C-shaped manner. The design is also such that the respective blocking leg of the C-shaped tilting lever interacts with a stop arranged between the blocking legs. In other words, the C-shape of the tilting lever makes it possible for the invention to position the relevant stop or multiple stops between the two ends of the blocking legs.

In this context, it has proven to be particularly advantageous if the stop is designed as a component part of the drive. As a result, stops that have to be additionally formed can basically be avoided, which further reduces the design complexity. The stop is usually formed on a worm wheel of the drive. In this case, the invention is based on the knowledge that the drive for the toothed rack element is usually equipped with an electric motor and a drive worm on the output shaft of the electric motor. This drive worm meshes with the previously mentioned worm wheel of the drive.

In most cases, the design is then made in such a way that the worm wheel carries a gear wheel which meshes with the toothed rack element. In this way, different gear ratios can be implemented as required, as will be explained in more detail below with reference to the description of the drawings.

In any case, according to the invention, the stop is formed on the worm wheel. For this purpose, the worm wheel usually has a rear stop disk which is usually designed in one piece with the worm wheel (made of plastics material). The stop disk thereby defines on its outer circumference two opposing stops for the corresponding blocking leg of the tilting lever that surrounds the stop disk in a C-shaped manner. In this way, the two end positions of the toothed rack element in question can be implemented in a particularly simple and functionally reliable manner.

The securing element is generally connected in an articulated manner to the toothed rack element. In addition, the securing element is usually a securing lever acted upon by a spring. Through its interaction with the securing lever, the spring ensures that the securing lever is secured in position.

For this purpose, the securing lever is usually designed with a spring cantilever which interacts with a leg of the spring designed as a torsion spring. This leg or spring leg of the spring usually has a lug which interacts and can interact with the spring cantilever in such a way that the securing element or securing lever is secured at least in the three positions “unlocked,” “theft-proof,” and finally “child-proof” described above. For this purpose, the spring cantilever is equipped with a bulge adapted to the contour of the lug, as will be explained in more detail with reference to the description of the drawings.

As a result, a motor vehicle lock, and in particular a motor vehicle door lock, is made available which is structurally particularly simple by using a (single) drive for both the child safety function and the anti-theft function. The fact that the securing element that can be moved into the three different functional positions in a controlled manner is and can be adjusted with the help of a toothed rack element also contributes thereto.

For this purpose, the toothed rack element has a blocking element designed as a tilting lever, with the aid of which at least two end positions of the toothed rack element can be defined. An additionally realized initial position of the toothed rack element is approached by the spring assigned to the tilting lever after the force has been applied by the drive. Herein lie the essential advantages.

In the drawings, a motor vehicle lock is shown, which is a motor vehicle door lock. This has a non-illustrated locking mechanism consisting essentially of a rotary latch and a pawl. To release and operate the locking mechanism, an operating lever1is implemented, which is mounted on the same axis as an opening lever2. The locking mechanism can be opened mechanically with the help of the opening lever2, regardless of the position of the operating lever1and a clutch lever3.

If the clutch lever3is in its engaged position (cf.FIG.2B), an actuation of the actuating lever or external actuating lever1about its axis in the clockwise direction indicated inFIG.1results in the actuating lever1being able to open the locking mechanism via the opening lever2and a release lever4, in that the release lever4lifts the pawl which has fallen into the rotary latch out of its engagement with the rotary latch. If, on the other hand, the clutch lever or outer clutch lever3is in its “disengaged” position shown inFIG.1(and inFIG.2A and2C), a corresponding opening movement of the actuating lever or outer actuating lever1is ineffective in the example. However, opening via the motor-driven opening lever2is still possible. For this purpose, the opening lever2is acted upon in a clockwise direction about its axis which is common to the actuating lever1.

The clutch lever or outer clutch lever3is transferred to the “disengaged” position shown inFIG.1(and inFIG.2A and2C) with the help of a securing element5, as will be explained in more detail below. For this purpose, a drive6,7,8for a toothed rack element9is additionally provided. The drive6,7,8works via the toothed rack element9on the securing element5, as will be explained in more detail below. In addition, the toothed rack element9is equipped with a blocking element10.

According to the invention, the blocking element10is designed as a tilting lever10that defines at least two end positions of the toothed rack element9. The tilting lever10is connected to the toothed rack element9in an articulated manner. A transmission lever11is provided for this purpose. It can be seen that the tilting lever10is connected in an articulated manner to the toothed rack element9with the help of the transmission lever11. For this purpose, the tilting lever10and the transmission lever11are mounted on the same axis. A spring12which is associated with the tilting lever10can also be seen. The spring12is a restoring spring. In addition, the spring12is designed as a torsion spring and encloses with its leg base a bearing pin that defines the common axis of the tilting lever10and the transmission lever11. The two spring legs extending from the leg base are supported on respective stops of the tilting lever10. In this way, a pivoting movement of the tilting lever10starting from its neutral position shown inFIG.1results in the spring or restoring spring12in question being tensioned. After the toothed rack element9is no longer acted upon with the help of the drive6,7,8, the spring or restoring spring12ensures that the tilting lever10, and with it the toothed rack element9and also the entire drive6,7,8, are transferred back to their home position or the neutral position (shown inFIG.1orFIG.2A).

The tilting lever is equipped with two blocking legs10a,10bin an overall C-shaped manner. The two blocking legs10a,10bcan thereby interact with a stop13arranged therebetween. According to the exemplary embodiment, this stop13is designed as a rear stop disk or stop rib13, which is connected to a worm wheel8as part of the drive6,7,8at the rear.

In fact, the drive6,7,8consists essentially of an electric motor6, a drive worm7arranged on the output shaft of the electric motor6and the worm wheel8in question, which meshes with the drive worm7. The worm wheel8in turn carries a gear wheel8awhich engages in the toothed rack element9. In this way, rotational movements of the worm wheel8or gear wheel8aare converted into linear adjustment movements of the toothed rack element9.

The securing element5is in turn connected in an articulated manner to the toothed rack element9, specifically at an end opposite a toothing of the toothed rack element9. In addition, the securing element5is a securing lever5which is acted upon by a spring14to secure the position.

The mode of operation is as follows. Starting from the neutral position shown inFIGS.1and2A, acting upon the drive6,7,8in such a way that the gear wheel8a(inFIG.1) is acted upon clockwise causes the toothed rack element9to move to the left. As a result of this, the tilting lever10also pivots clockwise (in the rear view according toFIG.2a), so that its blocking leg10acomes to rest against the stop disk13of the worm wheel8. As a result, the “child-proof” position shown inFIG.2Bis set. After the drive6,7,8is no longer applying force to the toothed rack element9, the restoring spring12ensures that the drive6,7,8and also the toothed rack element9are returned to their starting position or neutral position (cf.FIGS.1and2A).

Actuation of the drive6,7,8starting from the initial position in such a way that the gear wheel8a(inFIG.1) rotates counterclockwise now causes the toothed rack element9inFIG.1to be moved to the right. The consequence of this is that the tilting lever10pivots clockwise (inFIG.1and counterclockwise inFIG.2C) so that its other blocking leg10bagain comes into contact with the stop or the stop disk13. The “theft-proof” functional position shown inFIG.2Cis now reached. This “theft-proof” function corresponds to a locking lever15connected to the toothed rack element9acting on an inner clutch lever16in the sense of “disengaging.” Typically, the inner clutch lever16is “engaged” most of the time. At the same time, in the “theft-proof” position, the securing element5keeps the outer clutch lever3in the “disengaged” position according toFIG.2C. Consequently, the motor vehicle lock can be opened neither from the inside nor from the outside.

In contrast, the outer clutch lever3is engaged in the “child-proof” position according toFIG.2b, so that in this functional position only the inner clutch lever16is disengaged, so that the motor vehicle lock in question cannot be opened from the inside. In contrast, the outer clutch lever3is “engaged” in this case, so that, when the motor vehicle lock is unlocked, the associated motor vehicle door can still be opened from the outside.

In contrast, the “theft-proof” position according toFIG.2Ccorresponds to both clutch levers3,16being in their “disengaged” position, so that the motor vehicle lock in question cannot be opened either from the inside or from the outside. This is the usual and desired anti-theft function.

InFIGS.2A to2C, the different positions of the securing element5relative to the spring14interacting with the securing element5are shown. The spring14has a lug14afor this purpose. In addition, the securing element5is equipped with a bulge5a.It can be seen that the three different functional positions discussed above, neutral or “unlocked or not locked,” “child-proof” and finally “theft-proof,” correspond to a spring cantilever5bof the securing element5with the front bulge5abeing either centrally secured by the lug14aor located on one side or the other of the lug14a.In other words, the interaction between the spring14and the securing element5ensures that the securing element5is secured in position.

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