Central locking equipment for vehicle doors

A system for locking the doors of a vehicle by central command includes a reversible motor driving a worm gear. A traveling nut operated by the worm gear engages a lock-actuating lever through an overload clutch. The overload clutch includes a cam and a cam follower. The cam has a normal central stable position bounded on either side by regions of neutral stability which permit override by small manually applied forces in case the motor or worm gear malfunctions. The system further includes a spring powered mechanism for unlocking the doors in the event of an accident. The spring powered mechanism is tripped electrically by an acceleration-sensing switch, and can be recocked by applying a relatively large force to a plunger located on the window sill.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to a central locking equipment for vehicle doors, 
provided with drive units for locking the individual doors. Each drive 
unit contains a reversible electromotor with reduction-gear which drives a 
locking linkage by means of a driven lever. The locking linkage can also 
be operated by hand. 
2. The Prior Art 
The German printed patent application No. P 19 55 239 discloses a 
servo-activated locking equipment for vehicle doors. That equipment 
contains several drive units with reversible electromotors. Each motor 
operates through a reduction gear and linkage on the locking lever of the 
lock. In addition, a linkage rod connects the lever with a locking button 
which is activated by hand. In the linkage between the drive unit and the 
lock, a control switching device is mounted in the front doors which 
reacts to tension or pressure to switch the motor into the left or right 
running mode, respectively. If, for example, the driver's door is locked 
from the outside, the closing motion exerts such a pressure on the control 
switching device that it makes contact and starts the motors of the drive 
units of the other doors. Therefore, all doors are locked simultaneously, 
and they are also unlocked when unlatched. Nevertheless, each door can be 
unlocked individually from the inside by lifting the respective locking 
button. Due to the mechanical coupling for the transmission and the motor 
of the corresponding drive, these elements are still on line during this 
procedure and are thus manually operated. Because the toothed segment and 
pinion of the transmission provide a large mechanical advantage, manual 
operation requires application of considerable force. A further 
disadvantage is presented by the complicated assembly and the inexact 
disengagement of the motor, which can cause failures. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to simplify the structure of the 
known locking devices and to improve their functioning. Above all it is 
required that in case of failure of the automatic operation, locking can 
be accomplished by hand without great application of force. 
It is a specific object of the present invention to improve on automatic 
locking devices for vehicle doors which typically include a reversible 
motor, a reduction gearing, and an actuator for coupling to the door lock. 
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention it is 
suggested to provide a bilaterally effective, spring loaded overload 
clutch for selective coupling of the reduction gearing to the door lock 
actuator. Manual operation of the door lock has to overcome merely the 
spring bias to decouple the door lock actuator from the gearing, but 
energization of the motor will immediately effect recoupling to enable the 
locking device to follow commands of the operator. The main constructive 
feature resides in the use of a spring biased cam which selectively 
engages or disengages from a roller or a lever that is guided on a 
travelling unit which in turn rides on a worm gear constituting the 
reduction gearing as the preferred mode of for practicing the invention. 
The invention system furthermore includes a mechanism that is acted upon by 
excessive acceleration or deceleration for automatically operating the 
door locks for unlocking them.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Proceeding now to the detailed description of the drawings in which 
corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference symbol. 
FIG. 1 shows a drive unit 30, including a case 1, being usually made of 
synthetic material and normally mounted inside of a door of a vehicle. A 
reversible motor 2 is mounted inside of the case. The shaft 3 of this 
motor drives a worm gear or spindle 4; gear 4 is mounted in bearings 5. On 
the spindle 4 runs a traveling nut 6 which engages a slotted, one-armed 
lever 8 via radial pins 7. This lever 8 is rotatably mounted on an axle 9. 
A coupling plate 10 and a driven lever 14 are secured to axle 9. The leaver 
14 has an eye which receives a pin 14a extending from a rod 32, shown in 
FIG. 8. The rod 32 can be actuated, i.e. longitudinally shifted manually 
to operate the lock 31. The coupling plate 10 carries pins 10a, 10b, and 
10c as well as a bilateral spring 11. A cam track member and control disk 
12 is provided with oblong holes 12a, 12b which respectively engage the 
pins 10a, 10b. The member 12 is pressed against a roller 13 by the lever 
spring 11 and the roller 13 is mounted on the lever 8. 
The parts 10-13 form a bilaterally acting overload coupling. When the 
roller 13 is resting in the depression 12c of the cam member 12, the 
coupling is engaged and the levers 8 and 14 are forced-locked. The 
coupling is able to transmit a certain torque determined by the strength 
of the lever spring 11. If this torque is exceeded to the right or to the 
left, the roller 13 moves from the depression 12c under deformation of the 
spring 11 pg,7 and onto one of the two adjacent circular segments 12d, 
12e of member 12. The active track contour of the latter is additionally 
provided with starting or run off slopes 12f, 12g. The roller 13, 
therefore, has either a stable, a neutral, or an unstable equilibrium 
position with respect to the cam disk and member 12, depending on whether 
the roller is respectively in the depression 12c, on a circular portion 
12d or 12e, or on a run off slope 12f or 12g. 
According to the illustration of FIG. 1, the drive has been turned off 
because the nut 6 has reached the extreme right position. In this position 
the levers 8 and 14 are actually disengaged from each other. Therefore, if 
a torque is applied by hand to the lever 14 in the clockwise direction, 
for instance, during a closing operation, the parts 14, 10 and 12 are 
easily rotated (rod 32 moving to the right). Consequently, this manual 
actuation requires substantially no effort to supply the necessary torque 
on the door key or the locking button. On the other hand, the motor 2 has 
to be strong enough to release and again engage the coupling obtaining 
automatic actuation of rod 32 via lever 14. The release from the 
illustrated position assumes that the lever 14 is held by the linkage rod 
32 or by other stop devices. Now, the motor is turned on, turning drive 
shaft 4 so that the traveling nut 6 is running to the left. Shortly after 
commencement of this motion, the roller 13 drops into the depression 12c 
so that detent is effected and the lever 14 is thereafter driven in a 
clockwise direction. 
Upon reaching its extreme left and right positions, the traveling nut 6 
runs, respectively, against limit switches 15, 16 which turn off the 
current to the motor and, thereby prevent a thermal overload. The motor 2 
is furthermore protected by a thermostat 21. The thermostat can be 
replaced by a timing unit, located in a central position, which interrupts 
the current sufficiently ahead of any excess heating. 
The supply of electric current is provided by conductors 17, 18, 19. The 
circuit for the motor 2 is not shown in detail and is conventional. 
Suffice it to say that, for example, upon application of driving voltage 
to conductor 17 (18 being grounded) motor 2 turns in one direction as long 
as one of the limit switches 15, 16 are open. Closing of the latter 
interrupts the energizing circuit for the motor and prevents further 
energization in the same direction. Application of driving voltage to 
conductor 19 causes the motor to reverse until the other one of the 
switches 15, 16 interrupts that circuit. 
FIG. 1a illustrates a modification of the cam member 12'. The circular 
segments 12'd, 12'e extend over the entire torsion angle of the disk, with 
exception of the stop location 12c in the center, so that run off slopes 
12f and 12g of FIG. 1 are eliminated. This construction has the advantage 
over that of FIG. 1 that no resistance at the start has to be overcome, 
that is, the roller 13 does not have to be moved by increased force over 
any starting slope. 
FIG. 2 illustrates a section through a part of the drive unit of FIG. 1. 
One recognizes distinctly the position of the lever spring 11 between the 
lever 8, the coupling plate 10 and the cam disk 12. As can be seen, the 
case 1 consists of two nearly identical parts which are united in such a 
way, that the included electrical parts are protected to a considerable 
degree against penetration of dust and spraywater. A seal 20 is provided 
at the junction between the halves of the case 1 to prevent the 
penetration of foreign particles. The entire drive unit is sufficiently 
compact -- to be mounted without difficulty in any vehicle door. 
Concerning the functioning and operational safety the following should be 
added. The motor 2 continues to drive the rod 32 until locking or 
unlocking has been accomplished, after which it is switched off again. In 
case of a blockage or other difficulty in turning of the lever 14, the 
clutch disengages the motor, thereby preventing the motor 2 from being 
stopped under stress and destroyed by a jammed lock or linkage. The second 
important function of the coupling consists in making the latching and 
unlatching of every door possible by hand. 
FIG. 3 illustrates the drive in an intermediate position while levers 14 
and 8 are coupled. The roller 13 rests in the depression 12c of the cam 
disk 12. This disposition is representative for movement of nut to the 
right or to the left. It should be noted that the pins 10a, 10b are 
disengaged from the slots 12a, 12b in the sense that they do not 
participate in the coupling action. In FIG. 4 the drive is shown in the 
extreme left position. The coupling is again disengaged following 
completion of an actuation step in which the nut 6 was driven to the left 
to move lever 14 and rod 32 into an alternative position. From this 
position the lever 14 can be shifted without use of force into the 
position shown in FIG. 5. This is done by activating the lock or the 
locking button by hand. The cam 12 is pushed by springs 11 into a central 
position and hangs, in fact, on pins 10a, 10b. 
The construction of the coupling is not limited to the illustrated design 
example. FIG. 6 shows an arrangement in which a cam plate 12" is spring 
loaded to oppose sliding. Levers 8 and 14 are the same. 
FIG. 7 represents a kinematical inversion. The cam 12'" rests directly and 
rigidly on the axle 9 while the roller 13 is spring loaded against the cam 
plate. 
In FIG. 8 the drive unit is indicated in its entirety by 30, and operates 
the door lock 31 coupled to locking linkage or rod 32. A crank 33 converts 
the movement of rod 32 into motion in the vertical direction. The crank 33 
connects to the locking button 34 being shown in the depressed position, 
in which it practically rests on the window sill. 
Centrally operated locking devices for car doors have the function, on one 
hand, to secure the vehicle with a minimum of manipulation, as well as to 
prevent an unententioned opening of the doors during the ride. 
To assure complete safety, it is also necessary to provide an automatic 
emergency release, so that the doors can be opened without delay by 
rescuers in case of an accident. 
Therefore, the inventive construction includes also an emergency release 
which requires little room and can be easily and securely operated. 
As stated earlier, this additional feature is provided by the master 
activator of FIG. 9, which is located in the driver's door, provides an 
operating lever, connected through a springload, which activates the 
emergency release. The operating drive lever is locked by an electromagnet 
which has an accelerator switch in its electric circuit. 
In FIG. 9 the master activator for the driver's door is indicated by 41. A 
shaft 42 is placed in the activator case and a connecting lever 43 is 
mounted on the shaft. A drive lever 44 is also mounted on shaft 42 for 
limited rotation a rod 45 is connected to the left end of a connecting 
lever 43 which is provided with end stops 43a, 43b as well as with 
follower arm 43c on which rests the drive lever 44. Attached to lever 44 
is a tension spring 46 and a roller 47 which can be activated by an 
electromagnet 49 through a crank 48. 
All parts are shown in FIG. 9 in the locked position for the doors. If the 
driver lifts the locking button and lever 45, the lock is released causing 
also lever 43 to be pivoted clockwise while lug or arm 43c, disengages 
from lever 44. The electromagnet 49 is connected with the power supply 
through an accelerator switch (not shown -- see FIG. 11). In case an 
impact occurs while the doors are locked, the accelerator switch closes 
the electric circuit for the magnet 49 which attracts its armature. Thus, 
the crank 48 rotates clockwise around the axle 50, and the lever 44 is 
released. The spring 46 pulls the drive lever 44 clockwise and lever 44 
engaging arm 43 forces the connecting lever 43 to follow that motion 
towards its opposite extreme position, in which the driver's door is 
unlocked. The unit 41 contains on a second plane electrical contacts which 
are controlled by the shaft 42. Thus, all the other drives of the other 
door release units are also controlled by the emergency release. They 
execute the release command, so long as the power supply is able to 
deliver sufficient current. If, for instance, the battery is damaged or 
the voltage interrupted due to a short circuit, sufficient energy is still 
available to release the driver's door a few milliseconds after the 
impact, so that the other doors can still be released from the driver's 
door. 
If the described system has to be prepared again for operation after an 
emergency release, the spring 46 has to be stretched so that the roller 47 
engages the lever 44. This is accomplished by depressing the locking 
button 55 with great force (for instance 4-6 kg) so that the rod 45 and 
the levers 43, 44 (counter clockwise) perform an overstroke and roller 47 
can latch under lever 44. 
Since the doorlock is normally not built to be able to follow the 
overstroke for the tension of the spring 46, an elastic spring element, 
preferably a rubber element 58, is provided in the linkage 45 between the 
master actuator 41 and the lock (not shown), which provides a tension of 
the spring 46 by means of an overstroke on the connecting lever 43 and the 
drive lever 44. 
The described spring powered emergency release offers the great advantage 
that the electromagnet 49, which has only a release function, can be made 
very small and light. The actuator with its electrical contacts and 
emergency release equipment can easily be mounted in the cavities of the 
driver's door. 
In FIG. 10 the master actuator is again indicated by 41. It contains the 
shaft 42. The connecting lever 43 has the cams 43a, 43b, 43c and the cam 
plates 43d, 43e, which operate the indicated switches 51, 52, 53. FIG. 11 
shows the circuit diagram of the master unit 41. Among other features to 
be explained shortly, these switches 51, 52, 53 apply operating voltage to 
lines 17 and 19 as command signals by means of which the locking of the 
driver's door (position of button 55) controls the actuating motors in the 
other door units, to close their locks. 
Unit 41 includes additionally the emergency feature as outlined. The 
connecting lever 43 is joined with the lock lever 54 and a safety button 
55 through the linkage 45. Between the offset part of the linkage 45 and 
the lock lever 54, a rubber washer 58 is provided as an elastic link which 
makes the above mentioned overstroke possible. Outside the unit 41 is an 
accelerator switch 56. Reference number 57 represents the ignition switch. 
If the ignition is turned on, normal vehicle operation holds the 
accelerator switch 56 in one of its two stable positions, i.e. the circuit 
is open. If acceleration sensing switch 56 responds, it closes and current 
flows from the positive pole of the battery through the coil of solenoid 
49, and the switch 51 to ground. As soon as the coil triggers and reverses 
the lever 43, the switches 51, 52 and 53 are activated. The switch 51 then 
interrupts the electric circuit of the coil 49 so that it cannot be 
overloaded thermally, even if the accelerator switch 56 remains closed and 
the ignition is turned on. 
The spring 46, which, instead of a coil spring, can also consist of a 
rubber spring or the like, is made strong enough to overcome all spring 
and friction forces in the doorlock and the linkage guides. 
The main advantages of the invention consist in the fact that the new drive 
unit for locking does neither complicate the locking nor the unlocking by 
hand, that the driving motor cannot become stalled in an undefined 
intermediate position, and that even in case of a motor failure a control 
by hand is made possible. 
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but all 
changes and modifications thereof not constituting departures from the 
spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included.