Patent ID: 7973431

Claim:
A circuit arrangement for locking and/or unlocking a door lock comprising: an electrically-actuatable door lock actuator; a locking element; wherein the lock actuator acts on the locking element for locking or unlocking the door lock in response to current flowing through the lock actuator; a control device; a series circuit including the lock actuator and two switching devices controllable by the control device; the control device issuing output signals for actuating the two switching devices in response to predetermined triggering signals; and a mechanical relay having a make contact and a relay winding; wherein one of the switching devices is the make contact of the mechanical relay and the other switching device is a load path of a semiconductor switch; and the mechanical relay with its relay winding and the semiconductor switch are controllable by a control input of the control device, which in response to predetermined triggering signals allows output signals to be issued for exciting the relay winding and for closing the associated make contact of the mechanical relay and for transferring the semiconductor switch into its conductive state, wherein the relay winding of the mechanical relay is controllable by the control device before activation of the semiconductor switch.