Abstract:
A so-called super-lock condition of a door lock is achieved with a simple and compact construction. The door lock includes first and second lock/unlock mechanisms which establish the super-lock condition when assuming lock conditions respectively. The first and second lock/unlock mechanisms are actuated by an electric actuator mounted to the door lock. In a housing of the electric actuator, there are installed first and second electric motors and first and second operation levers. Due to power of the first electric motor, the first operation lever is switched between an unlock position causing the first lock/unlock mechanism to assume the unlock condition and a lock position causing the first lock/unlock mechanism to assume the lock condition, and due to power of the second electric motor, the second operation lever is switched between an unlock position causing the second lock/unlock mechanism to assume the unlock condition and a lock position causing the second lock/unlock mechanism to assume the lock condition.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates in general to automotive door lock assemblies and more particularly to the automotive door lock assemblies of a thief-proof type.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    In known automotive door lock assemblies hitherto used, there is a type which comprises a key cylinder which is mounted on the door to face the outside of the same, a lock/unlock mechanism which can switch between a lock condition wherein manipulation of both outside and inside handles of the door for opening the door is inoperative and an unlock condition wherein the manipulation of them is operative and an override mechanism which can make the manipulation of the inside handle operative even when the lock/unlock mechanism is in the lock condition.  
           [0005]    However, due to its inherent construction, the door lock assemblies of this type have failed to exhibit a satisfied thief-proof function. That is, even when the door is locked with the lock/unlock mechanism kept in the lock condition, manipulation of the inside handle by a picking tool or the like inserting through a small clearance for example between a door window pane and the door body would induce switching of the lock/unlock mechanism to the unlock condition thereby causing illegal opening of the door.  
           [0006]    One of the automotive door lock assemblies that overcomes the above-mentioned drawback is disclosed in Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication 4-20684. That is, in the door lock assembly of this publication, there are further employed a safety mechanism which can make the override mechanism inoperative in a certain condition and an electric actuator which actuates the safety mechanism with an electric power. That is, by operating the safety mechanism by the electric actuator, the manipulation of the inside handle becomes inoperative in the certain condition.  
           [0007]    However, even the door lock assembly of this publication has failed to provide users with a satisfaction. That is, in this door lock assembly, the two electric motors for respectively actuating the safety mechanism and the lock/unlock mechanism are separately arranged in the assembly, and thus the entire construction of the door lock assembly is bulky.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a thief-proof automotive door lock assembly which is simple in construction and compact in size.  
           [0009]    According to the present invention, there is provided a thief-proof automotive door lock assembly which generally comprises a door lock which includes first and second lock/unlock mechanisms and an electric actuator which includes first and second electric motors and first and second operation levers, wherein the first and second lock/unlock mechanisms can be brought to respective lock conditions for providing a so-called “super-lock condition” thereby to improve the thief-proof function of the door lock assembly.  
           [0010]    According to the present invention, there is provided an automotive door lock assembly for use with an automotive door having outside and inside handles mounted thereon. The assembly comprises a door lock including a first lock/unlock mechanism which switches between an unlock condition wherein manipulation of the outside handle is made operative and a lock condition wherein manipulation of the outside handle is made inoperative and a second lock/unlock mechanism which switches between an unlock condition wherein manipulation of the inside handle is made operative and a lock condition wherein manipulation of the inside handle is made inoperative; and an electric actuator mounted to the door lock for actuating the same. The electric actuator includes a housing secured to a base member of the door lock; first and second electric motors installed in the housing; a first operation lever straightly movably held by the housing, the first operation lever being actuated by the first electric motor to switch between an unlock position to cause the first lock/unlock mechanism to assume the unlock condition and a lock position to cause the first lock/unlock mechanism to assume the lock condition; and a second operation lever pivotally held by the housing, the second operation lever being actuated by the second electric motor to switch between an unlock position to cause the second lock/unlock mechanism to assume the unlock condition and a lock position to cause the second lock/unlock mechanism to assume the lock condition. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a side view of a thief-proof automotive door lock assembly according to the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a side view of the thief-proof automotive door lock assembly of the invention in a condition wherein a door lock and an electric actuator are separated from each other;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a front view of the door lock;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a view taken from the direction of the arrow “IV” of FIG. 3;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a partial view of FIG. 4, but showing a condition wherein a second lock/unlock mechanism of the door lock is in an unlock condition;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line “VI-VI” of FIG. 4;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the second lock/unlock mechanism of the door lock and a second operation lever of the electric actuator;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a side view of the electric actuator in one condition;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 is a partial view of FIG. 8, but showing a different condition;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line “X-X” of FIG. 2; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line “XI-X1” of FIG. 2. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]    In the following, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding, various directional terms, such as, right, left, upper, lower, rightward and the like are used in the description. However, such terms are to be understood with respect to only the drawing or drawings on which the corresponding part or portion is illustrated.  
         [0024]    Referring to the drawings, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a thief-proof automotive door lock assembly according to the present invention.  
         [0025]    In these drawings, denoted by numerals  1  and  20  are a door lock and an electric actuator which are combined to constitute the thief-proof automotive door lock assembly of the present invention.  
         [0026]    The door lock  1  is fixed to a free end of an automotive pivotal door by means of bolts. Although not shown, a striker is fixed to a vehicle body, against which a latch plate of the door lock  1  is engageable.  
         [0027]    The door lock  1  comprises a body  2 , the latch plate pivotally held in the body  2  to engage with the striker and a lock pawl pivotally held in the body  2  to restrain or lock the latch plate in the engaged position.  
         [0028]    As is seen from FIG. 3 which shows a front view of the door lock  1 , an open lever  3  is connected to the lock pawl through a shaft  3   c  to pivot together like a single unit. That is, when the open lever  3  is pivoted in a clockwise direction in the drawing, that is, in an opening direction, the lock pawl releases or unlocks the latch plate to permit opening of the door.  
         [0029]    In FIG. 3, denoted by numeral  4  is an outside lever which is pivotally connected to the front surface of the body  2  by means of a shaft  5 . One end of the outside lever  4  is connected through a transmission cable TC to an outside handle (not shown) mounted on an outside surface of the door. That is, when the outside handle is manipulated for the purpose of opening the door, the transmission cable TC pulls the outside lever  4  to pivot the same in a counterclockwise direction in the drawing, that is, in an opening direction.  
         [0030]    In FIG. 3, denoted by numeral  6  is a first lock/unlock mechanism which can switch the door lock  1  from a lock condition to an unlock condition in response to manipulation of the outside handle of the door. The first lock/unlock mechanism  6  generally comprises a lock/unlock lever  8  which is pivotally connected through a shaft  7  to the front surface of the body  2  and has a left end  8   a  projected, and a sub-lever  9  which has a lower portion pivotally connected to the outside lever  4  and has an upper portion formed with an arcuate slot  9   a . The arcuate slot  9   a  is slidably engaged with a projection  8   b  provided on a lower end of the lock/unlock lever  8 .  
         [0031]    When the outside lever  4  is pivoted in the opening direction, that is, in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3, the sub-lever  9  is shifted downward. The sub-lever  9  is formed at a generally middle portion thereof with a canceling portion  9   b  which is engageable with a first engaging portion  3   a  of the open lever  3  upon the downward shifting thereof.  
         [0032]    When the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is in its lock condition, the lock/unlock lever  8  and the sub-lever  9  assume respective lock positions as shown in FIG. 3. Under this lock condition of the mechanism  6 , even when the sub-lever  9  is shifted downward due to manipulation of the outside handle of the door through the outside lever  4 , the canceling portion  9   b  of the sub-lever  9  does not engage with the first engaging portion  3   a  of the open lever  3  thereby failing to open the door.  
         [0033]    While, when the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is turned to its unlock condition, the lock/unlock lever  8  is pivoted counterclockwise by a given angle to assume an unlock position and the sub-lever  9  is pivoted clockwise by a given angle to assume an unlock position. Under this unlock condition of the mechanism  6 , when the sub-lever  9  is shifted downward due to manipulation of the outside handle of the door, the canceling potion  9   b  of the sub-lever  9  is brought into abutment with the first engaging portion  3   a  of the open lever  3  thereby turning the open lever  3  in the opening direction. Thus, the door is permitted to open.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 4 shows a side view of the door lock  1 . In this drawing, dented by numeral  11  is a base plate secured to body  2 . It is to be noted that when the door lock  1  is properly mounted on the free end of the pivotal door, the base plate  11  extends in parallel with a major surface of the door. A generally L-shaped inside lever  10  is pivotally connected to the base plate  11  through a shaft  12 . The inside lever  10  is formed at a lower portion with a connecting opening  10   a . As is seen from FIGS. 4 and 1, to the connecting opening  10   a , there is connected a connecting cable  13  which extends from an inside handle (not shown) mounted on an inside surface of the door. When the inside handle is manipulated for the purpose of opening the door, the inside lever  10  is pivoted in an opening direction, that is, in a clockwise direction in FIG. 4 and in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1. As is seen from FIG. 4, a rear portion of the inside lever  10  is formed with an elongate slot  10   b.    
         [0035]    In FIG. 4, denoted by numeral  14  is a second lock/unlock mechanism which can switch the door lock  1  from the lock condition to the unlock condition in response to manipulation of the inside handle of the door.  
         [0036]    The second lock/unlock mechanism  14  comprises an intermediate lever  15  which is pivotally connected through the shaft  12  to the base plate  11 , a switch lever  16  which has an elongate opening  16   a  slidably engaged with the shaft  12  and thus is linearly movably relative to the shaft  12 , and an override lever  19  which is pivotally connected through a shaft  17  to the base plate  11  and has a lower end portion pivotally connected through a connecting shaft  18  to an arm  15   a  of the intermediate lever  15 .  
         [0037]    The intermediate lever  15  is formed with a generally L-shaped groove  15   b  mated with the elongate slot  10   b  of the inside lever  10 .  
         [0038]    The switch lever  16  is provided with a projection  16   b  which is slidably engaged with both the L-shaped groove  15   b  of the intermediate lever  15  and the elongate slot  10   b  of the inside lever  10 . The switch lever  16  is movable between a lock position as shown in FIG. 1 wherein the projection  16   b  is located at a corner of the L-shaped groove  15   b  to induce the lock condition of the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  and an unlock position as shown in FIG. 5 wherein the projection  16   b  is located at a rear end of the L-shaped groove  15   b  to induce the unlock condition of the mechanism  14 . That is, when the switch lever  16  is in the lock position as shown in FIG. 1, the pivoting of the inside lever  10  in the opening direction is not transmitted to the intermediate lever  15 , while, when the switch lever  16  is in the unlock position as shown in FIG. 5, the switch lever  16  can pivot together with the inside lever  10  in the opening direction, and thus such opening operation is transmitted to the intermediate lever  15  through the projection  16   b  of the switch lever  16 .  
         [0039]    In response to the pivoting of the intermediate lever  15  in the opening direction, the override lever  19  is pivoted in an opening direction (viz., in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4) through the connecting shaft  18 . Due to this pivoting, a canceling portion  19   a  provided on an end portion of the override lever  19  is brought into engagement with a second engaging portion  3   b  formed on the open lever  3  thereby to pivot the open lever  3  in the opening direction.  
         [0040]    When the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  is in the unlock condition, manipulation of the inside handle of the door for the purpose of opening the door can induce opening of the door. That is, under such condition, the manipulation of the inside handle induces an integral pivoting of the inside lever  10  and the switch lever  16  in the opening direction bringing about engagement of the projection  16   b  with the L-shaped groove  15   b  thereby pivoting the intermediate lever  15  in the opening direction, and thus the open lever  3  is pivoted in the opening direction through the override lever  19 .  
         [0041]    While, when the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  is in the lock condition, the manipulation of the inside handle of the door can not induce opening of the door. That is, under such condition, even when the inside lever  10  is pivoted in the opening direction due to manipulation of the inside handle of the door, the projection  16   b  of the switch lever  16  fails to strike against the L-shaped groove  15   b , and thus the movement of the inside lever  10  is not transmitted to the intermediate lever  15  and thus to the override lever  19 . Accordingly, the door can not be opened.  
         [0042]    Referring back to FIG. 1, the electric actuator  20  works to actuate the door lock  1  with an electric power. The electric actuator  20  is mounted to the door lock  1  in such a manner as will be described in the following.  
         [0043]    As is seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the electric actuator  20  comprises a plastic housing  21  which is secured to the base plate  11 .  
         [0044]    As is seen from FIG. 2, within the housing  21 , there are installed a first electric motor  22 , a second electric motor  23 , a first operation lever  24  and a second operation lever  25 . That is, upon operation of a portable remote controller “RC” or an operation switch “OS” mounted in the vicinity of a driver&#39;s seat, the first motor  22  is energized to run in a given direction to operate the first lock/unlock mechanism  6 . Upon operation of the remote controller “RC”, the second motor  23  is energized to run in a given direction to operate the second lock/unlock mechanism  14 . Specifically, upon receiving information signals from the remote controller “RC” and the operation switch “OS”, a control unit  100  issues instruction signals to the first and second motors  22  and  23  in such a manner as will be described hereinafter.  
         [0045]    The control unit  100  generally comprises a CPU (central processing unit), a RAM (random access memory), a ROM (read only memory) and input and output interfaces.  
         [0046]    The first operation lever  24  is connected to the first lock/unlock mechanism  6 , and the second operation lever  25  is connected to the second lock/unlock mechanism  14 .  
         [0047]    As shown in FIG. 2, the first operation lever  24  has two elongate slots  24   a  and  24   b  slidably engaged with projections (no numerals) provided by the housing  21 , so that the first operation lever  24  is vertically movably held by the housing  21 . The first operation lever  24  is formed with an opening  24   c  to which the projected end  8   a  of the lock/unlock lever  8  of the above-mentioned door lock  1  is engaged. With this, the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  of the door lock  1  is engaged with the first operation lever  24 . The first operation lever  24  is further formed at an upper portion with a vertically extending groove  24   d  in which a rack  26  is slidably received.  
         [0048]    Due to energization of the first motor  22 , the first operation lever  24  is moved between a lock position as shown in FIG. 2 wherein the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  assumes the lock condition and an unlock position as shown in FIG. 8 wherein the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  assumes the unlock condition. That is, the actuating motion produced by the first motor  22  is transmitted to the first operation lever  24  through a train including a worm  22   a  which is mounted on an output shaft of the motor  22 , a worm wheel  28  which is pivotally connected to the housing  21  through a shaft  27  and meshed with the worm  22   a  and the rack  26  which is meshed with a pinion  28   a  concentrically mounted on the worm wheel  28 .  
         [0049]    The first operation lever  24  is formed at an upper portion thereof with a projection  24   e  and a lower end thereof with a bent part  24   f  that is directed rightward in FIG. 2.  
         [0050]    When, as is seen from FIG. 9, the first operation lever  24  is in the lock position and the switch lever  16  is in the unlock position, pivoting the switch lever  16  in the opening direction causes a pin  36  held by the projection  16   b  of the switch lever  16  to become engaged with the bent part  24   f  of the lever  24  thereby to force the first operation lever  24  to move from the lock position to the unlock position. With this, the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is brought to the unlock condition. FIG. 6 shows the detail of the pin  36  held by the projection  16   b  of the switch lever  16 .  
         [0051]    Referring back to FIG. 2, between the groove  24   d  of the first operation lever  24  and the rack  26 , there is defined a clearance for play therebetween, which corresponds to an operation stroke of the first operation lever  24  between the lock and unlock positions of the lever  24 . Although not shown in the drawings, the rack  26  and the worm wheel  28  are biased toward their neutral positions by a spring. With this spring, the rack  26  and the worm wheel  28  are suppressed from making reversed rotation even when the first operation lever  24  is moved to the lock or unlock position due to turning of a key cylinder (not shown) mounted on the outside surface of the door.  
         [0052]    Denoted by numeral  29  is a key lever which is pivotally connected to a supporting portion  21   a  (see FIGS. 6 and 10) of the housing  21  through a shaft  29   a  which extends to the outside of the door. The key lever  29  is formed with upper and lower arms  29   b  and  29   b  which are engageable with the projection  24   e  of the first operation lever  24 .  
         [0053]    As is seen from FIG. 10, to an end of the key lever  29  that projects outside of the door from the supporting portion  21   a , there is connected a key connection lever  30  which is connected to the key cylinder through a bar or the like. The key connection lever  30  and the key lever  29  are pivoted together like a single unit.  
         [0054]    Due to manipulation of the key cylinder by a given key, the key lever  29  is pivoted clockwise and counterclockwise in FIGS. 2 and 8 through the key connection lever  30 . Due to pivoting of the key lever  29 , the upper or lower arm  29   b  of the lever  29  is brought into abutment with the projection  24   e  of the first operation lever  24  thereby to move the lever  24  to the lock position or unlock position.  
         [0055]    In FIG. 2, denoted by numeral  31  is a transmission lever which is pivotally connected through a shaft  32  to the housing  21 . A free end of the transmission lever  31  is provided with a projection  31   a  which is slidably engaged with a recess  24   g  formed in the first operation lever  24 . Thus, in response to the movement of the first operation lever  24 , the transmission lever  31  is pivoted between a lock position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9 and an unlock position as shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0056]    A warm  23   a  is mounted on an output shaft of the second electric motor  23 , which is meshed with a warm wheel  34  which is concentrically connected to the transmission lever  31  through the shaft  32 .  
         [0057]    The second operation lever  25  is generally L-shaped and pivotally connected through a shaft  33  to a lower portion of the housing  21 . An upper arm portion  25   a  of the second operation lever  25  is formed at its upper edge with an arcuate toothed part  25   b  which is meshed with the above-mentioned worm wheel  34  and at a portion between the toothed part  25   b  and the shaft  33  with an arcuate slot  25   c  with which the pin  36  held by the projection  16   b  of the switch lever  16  (see FIG. 4) is slidably engaged.  
         [0058]    Due to energization of the second motor  23 , the engagement of the pin  36  with the actuate slot  25   c  causes the second operation lever  25  to pivot clockwise or counterclockwise between a lock position as shown in FIG. 2 wherein the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  assumes the lock condition and an unlock position as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 wherein the mechanism  14  assumes the unlock condition.  
         [0059]    As is seen from FIGS. 2 and 7, the actuate slot  25   c  is formed concentric with the shaft  12  through which the L-shaped inside lever  10  is pivotally connected to the base plate  11  of the door lock  1 . With this arrangement, the pin  36  does not interrupt the actuate slot  25   c  even when the switch lever  16  is pivoted in the opening direction.  
         [0060]    Referring back to FIG. 2, denoted by numeral  35  is a connecting bar which has an upper end pivotally connected to the transmission lever  31  and has a bent lower end  35   a  slidably engaged with an arcuate slot  25   d  formed in the second operation lever  25 . As is seen from the drawing, when the first operation lever  24 , the transmission lever  31  and the second operation lever  25  are in the respective lock positions, the connecting bar  35  takes such a position that the bent lower end  35   a  of the bar  35  takes an upper position in the arcuate slot  25   d.    
         [0061]    When, with the door lock assembly assuming the condition as shown in FIG. 2, the first operation lever  24  and the transmission lever  31  are pivoted from the lock positions to the unlock positions due to manipulation of the key cylinder through the key connection lever  30  and the key lever  29 , the second operation lever  25  is forced to pivot to the unlock position through the connecting bar  35 . With this, the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  is brought to the unlock condition.  
         [0062]    As is seen from FIG. 2, for mounting the electric actuator  20  to the base plate  11  of the door lock  1 , the base plate  11  is formed with a plurality of catching pawls  11   a  by which the housing  21  of the actuator  20  is detachably caught. Upon mounting, the housing  21  covers the elements of the door lock  1 . That is, the housing  21  serves as both a means for accommodating the elements of the actuator  20  and a means for providing the door lock  1  with water-proof and thief-proof functions. An upper half of the housing  21  is closed by a cover member  21   b  (see FIGS. 10 and 11).  
         [0063]    Upon mounting the housing  21  to the base plate  11 , the projected end  8   a  of the lock/unlock lever  8  is brought into engagement with the opening  24   c  of the first operation lever  24  and at the same time the pin  36  held by the projection  16   b  of the switch lever  16  is brought into the arcuate slot  25   c  of the second operation lever  25 . With this, the first operation lever  24  becomes connected with the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  and the second operation lever  25  becomes connected with the second lock/unlock mechanism  14 .  
         [0064]    It is to be noted that on the door to which the automotive door lock assembly of the invention is mounted, there is no lock knob in order to avoid illegal door opening action effected by manipulating the lock knob with a picking tool or the like. Usually, on an automotive door having a door lock assembly mounted therein, there is arranged a lock knob at the inside surface of the door. That is, by manipulating the lock knob by a passenger in the vehicle cabin, a device corresponding to the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is switched between the lock and unlock conditions.  
         [0065]    That is, in the present invention, actuation of the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is carried out when the key cylinder mounted on the outside surface of the door or the remote controller “RC” is manipulated or when the operation switch “OS” mounted in the vicinity of a driver&#39;s seat is manipulated, as has been mentioned hereinabove.  
         [0066]    In the following, operation of the thief-proof automotive door lock assembly will be described with reference to the drawings.  
         [0067]    For ease of understanding, the explanation will be commenced with respect to a condition wherein the door is closed with the first and second lock/unlock mechanisms  6  and  14  keeping the unlock condition.  
         [0068]    Under this condition, the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  shows the condition as shown in FIG. 5, the electric actuator  20  shows the condition as shown in FIG. 8 and the latch plate (which is secured to the open lever  3  (see FIG. 3)) fully latches the striker without being locked by the lock pawl. In this condition, manipulation of the outside handle or inside handle permits or induces opening of the door.  
         [0069]    That is, when the outside handle is manipulated for opening the door, the open lever  3  (see FIG. 3) is pivoted in the opening direction through the transmission cable TC, the outside lever  4  and the sub-lever  9 , so that the latch plate releases the striker. Upon this, the door is permitted to open when pulled in an opening direction.  
         [0070]    While, when, under the above-mentioned closed condition of the door, the inside handle is manipulated for opening the door, the open lever  3  is pivoted also in the opening direction through the inside lever  10 , the switch lever  16 , the intermediate lever  15  and the override lever  19 , so that the latch plate releases the striker. Thus, the door is permitted to open.  
         [0071]    When, under the above-mentioned door closed condition, the key cylinder mounted on the door is turned in a locking direction by means of a given key, the first operation lever  24  is forced to move to the lock position through the key connection lever  30  and the key lever  29 . Upon this, the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is brought to its lock condition. During this, the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  is kept in the unlock condition.  
         [0072]    When, under the above-mentioned door closed condition, the operation switch “OS” mounted in the vicinity of the driver&#39;s seat is turned on, only the first motor  22  is energized to run. Upon this, the first operation lever  24  is moved to the lock position through the worm  22   a , the worm wheel  28 , the pinion  28   a  and the rack  26 , so that the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is brought to the lock condition. During this, the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  is kept in the unlock condition.  
         [0073]    While, when, under the above-mentioned door closed condition, the remote controller “RC” is manipulated for the purpose of opening the door, a corresponding information signal is transmitted from the controller “RC” to the receiver “RR” (see FIG. 2). Upon this, the control unit  100  issues at first an instruction signal to the first motor  22  to run the same to move the first operation lever  24  to the lock position inducing the lock condition of the first lock/unlock mechanism  6 , and then issues an instruction signal to the second motor  23  to run the same to move the second operation lever  25  to the lock position inducing the lock condition of the second lock/unlock mechanism  14 . That is, upon manipulation of the remote controller “RC”, both the first and second lock/unlock mechanisms  6  and  14  are brought into the lock condition, providing a so-called “super-lock condition” of the door lock assembly.  
         [0074]    As is described hereinabove, the door lock assembly can assume a condition wherein the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  takes the lock condition as shown in FIG. 3 and the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  takes the unlock condition as shown in FIG. 5. Under such condition of the door lock assembly, the electric actuator  20  assumes the condition as shown in FIG. 9.  
         [0075]    When, under this condition of the door lock assembly, the inside handle of the door is manipulated, the door lock  1  permits opening of the door with the aid of the unlock condition of the second lock/unlock mechanism  14 . That is, in such case, a so-called overriding operation takes place. Furthermore, upon handling of the inside handle, the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is switched from the lock condition to the unlock condition.  
         [0076]    That is, when the inside handle is manipulated, the switch lever  16  is pivoted in the opening direction together with the inside lever  10  bringing the pin  36  held by the projection  16   b  of the switch lever  16  into engagement with the bent part  24   f  of the first operation lever  24 . With this, the first operation lever  24  is forced to move from the lock position to the unlock position, and thus the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  is switched from the lock condition to the unlock condition.  
         [0077]    When the door lock assembly assumes the above-mentioned super-lock condition, the first lock/unlock mechanism  6  takes the lock condition as shown in FIG. 3, the second lock/unlock mechanism  14  takes the lock condition as shown in FIG. 4 and the electric actuator  20  takes a condition as shown in FIG. 2.  
         [0078]    Under this super-lock condition of the door lock assembly, the door can not be opened even when the outside and inside handles of the door are manipulated. Thus, even if the inside handle is illegally manipulated by a person handling a picking tool or the like, the door can not be opened.  
         [0079]    Cancellation of the super-lock condition of the door lock assembly can be made by manipulating the remote controller “RC”. That is, when the remote controller “RC” is manipulated for opening the door, the control unit  100  (see FIG. 2) issues at first an instruction signal to the second motor  23  to run the same in an opposite direction to move the second operation lever  25  from the lock position to the unlock position inducing the unlock condition of the second lock/unlock mechanism  14 , and then issues an instruction signal to the first motor  22  to run the same in the opposite direction to move the first operation lever  24  from the lock position to the unlock position inducing the unlock condition of the first lock/unlock mechanism  6 . If desired, the remote controller “RC” may be so constructed as to independently control the first and second lock/unlock mechanisms  6  and  14 . In this case, safety of the door lock assembly is much improved.  
         [0080]    The cancellation of the super-lock condition of the door lock assembly can be made also by turning the key cylinder with the given key. That is, when the key cylinder is turned in a lock canceling direction, the second operation lever  25  is moved from the lock position to the unlock position as has been mentioned hereinabove, and thus the door can be opened. This is very advantageous in a case wherein the first and/or second electric motor  22  or  23  fails to operate due to over-discharge of a battery or the like. That is, even in such an emergency case, manipulation of the key cylinder can induce the unlock condition of the first and second lock/unlock mechanisms  6  and  14  and thus can open the door.  
         [0081]    The entire contents of Japanese Patent Application 2000-327522 (filed Oct. 26, 2000) are incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0082]    Although the invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment of the invention, the invention is not limited to such embodiment as described hereinabove. Various modifications and variations of such embodiment may be carried out by those skilled in the art, in light of the above descriptions.