Patent Publication Number: US-9428936-B2

Title: Lock for a motor vehicle lock system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a lock for a motor vehicle lock system. More particularly, the invention relates to a rotating electric commutator lock for a motor vehicle anti-theft device but may also be applied to any motor vehicle lock. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Such a lock designed to be inserted and fixed in a receiving body of a motor vehicle comprises:
         a stator inside which a rotor is capable of being mobile in rotation when a key appropriate for the lock is inserted so as to unlock the lock system of the motor vehicle, said stator comprising a means for fixing to said anti-theft body,   a cover plate of the rotor fixed to the front face of said stator, said cover plate having an opening for the passage of the key capable of cooperating with said rotor,   an anti-pull-out means borne by said cover plate and said stator to fix said cover plate to said stator and to retain said rotor axially in said stator.       

     It is known to retain the cover plate at the front of the stator of the lock by a crimped portion located to the rear of the cover plate, making it possible to ensure the integrity of the lock, in particular in the event of the rotor being pulled out or pushed in. 
     However, a different means is sought to fix the lock to the anti-theft body, making it possible to reduce the costs resulting from the crimping step whilst improving the integrity of the lock. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention aims to remedy this problem by proposing a lock designed to be inserted and fixed in a receiving body of a motor vehicle comprising:
         a stator inside which a rotor is capable of being mobile in rotation, said stator ( 3 ) comprising a means for fixing to said receiving body,   a cover plate of the rotor fixed to the front face of said stator, said cover plate having an opening for the passage of a key capable of cooperating with said rotor,   an anti-pull-out means borne by said cover plate and said stator to fix said cover plate to said stator and to retain said rotor axially in said stator, characterized in that said anti-pull-out means is configured to block said cover plate axially on said stator by the positioning of said cover plate on said stator and its subsequent pivoting on said stator into an assembled position and in that it comprises an element for blocking in rotation said cover plate on said stator, consisting of a part interposed between the cover plate and the front face of the stator.       

     The cover plate may thus be mounted manually on the stator such that the assembly requires neither a specific tool nor an assembly station. This results in a significant reduction in production and assembly costs. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, said part comprises a means for fixing in rotation to the front face of said stator and a means for blocking in rotation said active cover plate in said assembled position. 
     Preferably, said blocking means consists of at least one resilient lug inclined in the resting position and each designed to cooperate with a groove borne by the rear face of said cover plate, in said assembled position. 
     Preferably, said fixing means consists of at least one groove for longitudinal interlocking with a rib borne by the front face of the stator. 
     Advantageously, said part constitutes an intermediate cover plate of the rotor, which is cup-shaped with an open base and comprises a peripheral annular flange comprising at least one resilient lug inclined to the front in the resting position, forming said blocking means, and each designed to cooperate with a groove borne by the rear face of said cover plate, in said assembled position. 
     Advantageously, said annular flange of said intermediate cover plate comprises at least one so-called groove for longitudinal interlocking with a rib borne by the front face of the stator, forming said fixing means. 
     Said part may be made of steel. 
     Preferably, said cover plate is fixed to said stator by a bayonet mounting forming said anti-pull-out means to retain said rotor axially in said stator. 
     Advantageously, the stator has a rib having a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lock and the cover plate has a corresponding hook for a bayonet mounting. 
     The lock may further comprise a longitudinal element for taking up clearance of said cover plate on said stator. 
     Said element for taking up clearance may be generally strip-shaped and comprise means for assembling to said stator and said cover plate. 
     Said element for taking up clearance may have a longitudinal lug in abutment against said cover plate. 
     Said element for taking up clearance may be made of plastics material. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the figures showing a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
         FIGS. 1A to 1D  are perspective views of a lock according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a lock and a lock body according to the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of a lock according to the invention. 
         FIGS. 4A to 4B  are sectional views according to the plane III-III. 
         FIGS. 5A to 5B  are detailed views from the front and in section along V-V of a lock according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In all the figures, identical elements bear the same reference numerals. The front face of the lock is designated as the end of the lock accessible by the user from the outside of the motor vehicle. 
       FIGS. 1, 2 and 3  illustrate an anti-theft device with an insertable lock, designed to be mounted in a motor vehicle to secure the steering thereof. The anti-theft device comprises a receiving body  1  which is an anti-theft body according to the illustrated embodiment, having a first portion in which locking means are integrated, designed to block a mobile steering element (not visible). The anti-theft body  1  is also provided with a second portion into which a lock  2  is designed to be inserted and fixed. The lock  2  comprises a stator inside which a rotor  4  is mounted to control the implementation of the locking means via a connecting element (not visible). The connecting element has an end shaped so as to be able to be interlocked in a corresponding cavity to the rear of the lock  2  and thus cooperate by entrainment with the rotor part  4  of the lock  2 . 
     The rotor  4  is capable of being mobile in rotation along the longitudinal axis I-I inside the stator  3  when a key appropriate for the lock  2  is inserted into the rotor  4  via the key inlet  6  formed at the front end of the rotor  4 , so as to unlock the lock system of the motor vehicle. 
     It goes without saying that, throughout this text, the term “rotor” denotes very generally any sub-assembly comprising a rotor body through which radial slots are formed, capable of receiving tumblers which are assembled so as to be mobile in radial translation and which are coupled to restoring springs which drive them permanently into positions which protrude relative to the body of the rotor. 
     The lock stator  3  also has a means for fixing to the anti-theft body  1  to secure the lock  2  to the anti-theft body  1 . According to an embodiment shown, said fixing means has a resilient stud  8 , for example mounted on the spring, placed on the surface of the stator  3  of the lock  2 , cooperating with a corresponding orifice  9  having a shape which is substantially complementary to the stud  8 , formed inside the second portion of the anti-theft body  1 . 
     The lock  2  comprises a cover plate  10  designed to be fixed to the front face of the stator  3 . The cover plate  10  has a circular opening  14  to make the key inlet  6  formed at the front end of the rotor  4  accessible. The cover plate  10  is made from a material resistant to being pulled out, for example made of a material of the Zamak type, Zamak being an alloy based on zinc, aluminum and magnesium, occasionally with copper. 
     The lock  2  is placed in the anti-theft body  1  such that the key inlet  6  is accessible from the outside of the motor vehicle. 
     The lock  2  comprises an anti-pull-out means borne by the cover plate  10  and the stator  3  to fix the cover plate  10  to the stator  3  and to retain the rotor  4  axially in the stator  3 . The presence of an anti-pull-out means is essential in order to ensure the integrity of the rotor  4  of the lock  2 , in particular relative to potential attempted break-ins by pulling out or pushing in the rotor  4 . 
     The anti-pull-out means is configured to block the cover plate  10  axially on the stator  3  by the positioning of the cover plate  10  on the stator  3  and its subsequent pivoting on said stator  3  into the assembled position shown in  FIG. 1D . The mounting may thus be carried out manually such that no specific tool or assembly station is required. This results in a significant reduction in production and assembly costs. 
     The insertion of the lock  2  into the anti-theft body  1  then definitively locks the rotation of the cover plate  10 . To achieve this, the anti-theft body  1  comprises an anti-unscrewing means for the cover plate  10  on the stator  3 . 
     According to the preferred embodiment, the cover plate  10  is fixed to the stator  3  by a bayonet-type mounting, i.e. the cover plate  10  is positioned on the stator  3  and is pivoted so as to be retained in the axially blocked position. The bayonet mounting forms an anti-pull-out means, so as to block the rotor  4  in axial translation inside the stator  3  when the lock  2  is fixed inside the anti-theft device  1 . The resistance of the lock relative to the rotor being pushed in or pulled out is thus enhanced by the bayonet-type mounting which permits improved resistance against being pulled out. 
     According to a preferred embodiment, the stator  3  has a rib  22  having a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis I-I and the edge of the cover plate  10  has a corresponding hook  23 . The hook  23  cooperates with the rib  22  to retain the cover plate  10  axially. 
     In addition, the cover plate comprises an anti-unscrewing longitudinal rib  24  designed to cooperate with a housing  32   a  formed in the vicinity of the mouth of the anti-theft body  1 . 
     The lock  2  also comprises a longitudinal element for taking up clearance  15  made of plastics material. Said element for taking up clearance  15  makes it possible to take up clearance which potentially may be present between the cover plate  10  and the stator  3  of the lock and thus eliminate noise caused by a relative movement between the cover plate  10  and the stator  3  when transporting the lock  2  on the vehicle assembly line and once mounted in the anti-theft device. The element for taking up clearance  15  is generally strip-shaped, for example, and comprises means for assembling to the stator  3 . 
     The element for taking up clearance  15  may be fixed by being clipped to the stator  3  of the lock  2 . It comprises a resilient guard  18 , for example, formed by a curved strip in order to take up clearance tolerances, a longitudinal lug  16  borne by said element being in abutment against the cover plate. 
     According to the invention, the lock also comprises a means for blocking in rotation the cover plate  10 , consisting of a part  30  interposed between the cover plate  10  and the front face of the stator  3 . 
     According to the illustrated embodiment, said part  30  which is cup-shaped with an open base and constitutes an intermediate cover plate visible in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  is shown on its own in  FIGS. 5A and 5B . Said part  30  thus also has the function of a tamper protection shield for the rotor in addition to its function of blocking in rotation the cover plate  10 , due to its open front wall or open base  30 A which partially covers the front face of the rotor. 
     Said intermediate cover plate  30  of cylindrical shape and advantageously made of steel, optionally stainless steel, comprises a means for fixing in rotation to the front face of the stator  3  and a means for blocking in rotation of the cover plate  10 , the means for blocking in rotation being active in the assembled position shown in  FIGS. 1D and 3 . 
     The intermediate cover plate comprises a peripheral annular flange  31  comprising at least one resilient lug  32 ,  33  inclined to the front in the resting position, forming said blocking means, and designed to cooperate with grooves  10 A,  10 B visible in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  and borne by the rear face of the cover plate  10 , in said assembled position. According to the example shown, said lugs are two in number, as are the corresponding grooves. 
     The annular flange  31  of the intermediate cover plate comprises at least one groove, in this case two grooves  34 ,  35 , for longitudinal interlocking with a rib, in this case two ribs  36 ,  37  borne by the front face of the stator, forming the fixing means. 
     The assembly of a lock  2  according to the invention is carried out in the following manner. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the intermediate cover plate  30  is arranged on the front face of the stator  3  by the interlocking of the ribs  36 ,  37  thereof in the grooves  34 ,  35  borne by said intermediate cover plate. In this position, the resilient lugs  32 ,  33  are in the resting position, inclined to the front. 
     The cover plate  10  is then applied to said intermediate cover plate  30 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1C , the resilient lugs  32 ,  33  being compressed and urged into the non-inclined position as illustrated in  FIG. 4A  and the hook  23  of the cover plate  10  being arranged opposite the rib  22  of the stator  3 . 
     The cover plate is finally pivoted, so as to interlock the hook  23  on the rib  22 , as shown in  FIG. 1D  where the lock is in the assembled position. The resilient lugs  32 ,  33  of the intermediate cover plate  30  are then released into an inclined position in the ribs  10 A,  10 B of the cover plate  10 , blocking in rotation said cover plate. 
     Said assembled lock may now be inserted into the body of the lock  1  shown in  FIG. 2  where the rotation of the cover plate  10  is locked definitively by the interlocking of the longitudinal anti-unscrewing rib  24  of the cover plate in the housing  32   a  of the lock body. 
     A preferred embodiment of the invention is described above but the invention also encompasses further embodiments of the part  30  for blocking in rotation the cover plate. 
     The tamper protection function may be ensured solely by the cover plate  10  and the part  30  may be of semi-cylindrical shape. Said part may thus be without a front wall  30 A. 
     Said part may even be without a peripheral annular flange  31  and consist of a simple cylindrical ring. Said blocking means may thus consist of at least one resilient lug inclined on, and relative to, the cylindrical wall of said part in the resting position, and each designed to cooperate with a radial groove borne by the rear face of said cover plate, in said assembled position. Similarly, said fixing means may thus always consist of at least one groove for longitudinal interlocking, arranged at the end of said cylindrical wall, with a rib borne by the front face of the stator, forming said fixing means. In this case, as the part does not play a shielding role, it may be made of plastics material. 
     Generally, said blocking means consists of at least one resilient lug inclined in the resting position and each designed to cooperate with a groove borne by the rear face of said cover plate ( 10 ), in said assembled position. In addition, said fixing means consists of at least one groove for longitudinal interlocking with a rib borne by the front face of the stator ( 3 ), forming said fixing means.