An integrated electric door lock for the front hood of a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides an integrated electric door lock for a vehicle front hood, which includes a motor, a locking assembly, an electric assembly, a manual unlocking assembly, and a housing assembly. Among them, the locking assembly includes a locking tongue assembly and a pawl assembly. The locking assembly has at least two position states, namely a fully locked state and a fully open state. The manual unlocking assembly includes a mechanical unlocking lever. When the mechanical unlocking lever is pulled to unlock, it can drive the pawl assembly to rotate, and perform an unlocking operation of separating the pawl assembly from the locking tongue assembly. The housing assembly includes a lower housing and an upper housing, which are used to accommodate or fix the motor, the locking assembly, the electric assembly, and the manual unlocking assembly. The integrated electric door lock for a vehicle front hood of the present invention integrally sets the functions of electric switch locking, manual unlocking, and the eccentric rotation action of a double-connected spur gear during the normal unlocking process, reduces the number of parts, facilitates the layout of the electric front hood lock on the vehicle, has a clever structure, and reduces costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of automobile parts, and in particular to an integrated automobile front cover electric door lock. Background Art

[0002] With the market development demand for intelligent and convenient automobiles, some electric cars or gasoline-powered sports cars do not have a driving device under the front hood of the car in order to make the vehicle structure more compact, especially the convenient use demand of the intelligent front cabin represented by new energy vehicles as a luggage compartment, so that the bottom of the front hood can be used as a front trunk (i.e., luggage compartment), so the front hood needs to be opened or closed frequently to store items. In the prior art, the closing and opening of the front hood are generally mechanical structures, and automatic opening and closing cannot be achieved. The existing front trunk hood of the car mainly uses a gas spring as a support tool for opening and closing. When opening the front hood, the front hood is unlocked, and then the front hood must be manually pulled up and the tailgate is supported under the action of the gas spring; and when the front hood is closed and locked, the lock ring on the front hood presses against the locking device of the vehicle body, and it is also necessary to manually press the lock ring of the front trunk hood and the lock buckle of the locking device to complete the locking.

[0003] As OEMs' requirements for high-quality, lightweight, small-volume, and low-cost products continue to increase, the existing traditional hood lock systems on the market are unable to achieve intelligent unlocking and closing of the hood. Existing electric hood locks are mostly split-type, requiring two actuators to complete. Not only are they large and inconvenient for vehicle layout, but they are also expensive to manufacture and assemble. At the same time, the heavy weight of the product is not conducive to the lightweight design goal of the vehicle. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention aims to propose an integrated automobile hood electric door lock to solve the inconvenience of operating the existing traditional hood lock, the safety hazard of no alarm when the hood is not completely closed, etc. The existing electric hood lock has the disadvantages of large size, large weight, high cost, difficult layout, and complex structure.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0006] An integrated electric door lock for a front cover of an automobile, comprising:

[0007] A locking assembly, comprising a locking tongue assembly and a pawl assembly, wherein the locking tongue assembly can rotate relative to the locking tongue rivet, and the pawl assembly can rotate relative to the pawl rivet;

[0008] Wherein, a first rotating shaft hole is provided on the locking tongue assembly, the locking tongue rivet extends into the first rotating shaft hole, and a front cover spring is arranged in the first rotating shaft hole, and the front cover spring is used to apply a force to the locking tongue assembly to move in the unlocking state direction; a pawl spring is arranged at the connection between the pawl assembly and the pawl rivet, and the pawl spring is used to apply a force to the pawl assembly to move in the locking state direction.

[0009] The electric component includes an electric lever which can be driven by a motor, and the electric lever can push the pawl assembly to rotate and lock or separate from the locking tongue assembly during rotation.

[0010] Wherein, the locking tongue assembly and the pawl assembly include at least two position states:

[0011] Full locking state, in which the pawl metal part in the pawl assembly contacts and abuts against the locking tongue metal part in the locking tongue assembly to keep the door lock in the closed state.

[0012] Fully open state, the motor rotates to drive the electric unlocking lever to push the pawl assembly to rotate and separate it from the locking tongue assembly.

[0013] The manual unlocking component includes a mechanical unlocking lever which can drive the pawl assembly to rotate during pulling unlocking, and performs the unlocking operation of separating the pawl assembly from the locking tongue assembly.

[0014] The housing assembly includes a lower housing and an upper housing, and is used to accommodate or fix the motor, the locking component, the electric component and the manual unlocking component.

[0015] Furthermore, the locking tongue assembly and the pawl assembly further include a semi-locking position state.

[0016] A first locking position and a second locking position are provided on the locking tongue assembly. Among them, the first locking position is the position where the locking tongue assembly meshes with the upper limiting part on the pawl assembly in the full locking state, and the second locking position is the critical position where the locking tongue assembly is separated from the upper limiting part on the pawl assembly. The position state where the upper limiting part on the pawl assembly meshes with the second locking position on the locking tongue assembly is the semi-locking position state.

[0017] Furthermore, a limiting and guiding structure is arranged between the first locking position and the second locking position, and an electric release lever is arranged on the pawl assembly. During the movement from the full locking state to the semi-locking state, the slider on the electric release lever slides along the limiting and guiding structure, and when in the fully open state, the slider on the electric release lever extends out of the limiting and guiding structure.

[0018] Further, a pawl buffer pad is provided on the lower housing. The pawl buffer pad is used to limit the rotation angle of the pawl assembly relative to the pawl rivet. A metal base plate is provided on the side of the lower housing away from the upper housing. The lock tongue assembly and the pawl assembly are arranged between the lower housing and the metal base plate.

[0019] Further, a lock tongue signal lever is provided on the lower housing. The lock tongue signal lever is rotatably connected relative to the lock tongue lever rivet. A signal detection lever spring is provided at the position where the lock tongue signal lever is hinged to the lock tongue lever rivet. During the rotation of the lock tongue assembly, the locking part and the half-lock sensing part on the lock tongue assembly touch the lock tongue signal lever to detect the states of the fully locked position and the half-locked position.

[0020] Further, a half-lock signal switch, a full-lock signal switch, a lever reset signal switch, and a pawl signal switch are provided on the lower housing. The half-lock signal switch is used to contact the lock tongue signal lever to detect the half-locked state position of the door lock. The full-lock signal switch is used to contact the lock tongue signal lever to detect the fully open state position of the door lock. The full-lock signal switch is used to contact the locking part of the lock tongue assembly to detect the fully locked state position of the door lock. The lever reset signal switch is used to contact the electric lever to detect the reset state position of the electric lever. The pawl signal switch is used to contact the pawl assembly to detect the positions of the pawl assembly moving to the fully locked state position, the half-locked state position, or the fully open state position.

[0021] Further, the mechanical unlocking lever drives the pawl assembly to perform a single-pull unlocking, or the mechanical unlocking lever drives the pawl assembly to perform a double-pull unlocking.

[0022] Further, a mechanical unlocking tongue is provided on the mechanical unlocking lever. The mechanical unlocking tongue can rotate relative to the mechanical unlocking lever. A tongue torsion spring is provided at the connection between the mechanical unlocking tongue and the mechanical unlocking lever.

[0023] Further, the motor drives the helical gear part of the double-link straight bevel gear to rotate through a worm. The spur gear part in the double-link straight bevel gear drives the double-link spur gear to rotate. The double-link spur gear meshes with the sector gear and can drive the sector gear to rotate. The sector gear is integrally connected with the electric lever and can rotate along the lock tongue rivet. The double-link spur gear rotates around the double-link spur gear rivet.

[0024] Further, an eccentric lever is sleeved on the upper end of the double-link spur gear rivet. The mechanical unlocking lever is inserted into the corresponding hole of the eccentric lever through a boss cylinder. When the mechanical unlocking lever rotates, it can drive the eccentric lever to rotate around the double-link spur gear rivet. The double-link spur gear rotates around the eccentric lever. The sector gear and the electric lever are fixedly connected together and rotate around the lock tongue rivet.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to the present invention has the following advantages:

[0026] (1) For the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to the present invention, the electric switch lock function and the manual unlocking function are integrally arranged, reducing the number of parts, minimizing the occupied space of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile, facilitating the layout of the electric front hood lock on the whole vehicle, with a clever structure and reduced costs.

[0027] (2) For the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to the present invention, by using an eccentric gear structure, an eccentric rotation action of the double-connected spur gear is synchronously integrated during the normal unlocking process, avoiding the situation that the door lock cannot be opened normally for maintenance or is in an unsafe state due to sudden power failure during the locking process of the door lock, being convenient to operate and not requiring additional new parts.

[0028] (3) For the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to the present invention, the space occupied by the transmission structure is reduced, the overall volume of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile is minimized, and the transmission effect of the motor driving the electric lever to rotate is ensured. The functions of electrically opening, closing the front hood lock and manually double-pulling are integrally designed, having the advantages of small volume, light weight, low cost, high safety, and being able to realize the intelligent control of the whole vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The drawings constituting a part of the present invention are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The schematic embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation to the present invention. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 is an exploded structural schematic diagram of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 is an internal structural schematic diagram of the secondary unlocking structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention in a fully locked state;

[0032] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the pawl assembly and the lock tongue assembly in contact with each other to keep the door lock in a closed state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4 is an internal structural schematic diagram of the electric secondary unlocking structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention in a semi-locked state;

[0034] Figure 5 is an internal structural schematic diagram of the primary unlocking structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention in a semi-locked state;

[0035] Figure 6Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile in the fully open state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the internal structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile in the fully open state of the electric first unlocking structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the structure in which the electric lever pushes the lock tongue assembly to the fully locked position in the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure for manually unlocking by pulling the mechanical unlocking lever when the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile lacks power according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of the manual unlocking structure in the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure in which the mechanical unlocking lever resets after the first-stage lock position is unlocked in the double-pull unlocking structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of the structure in which the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile is pulled open by single-pull unlocking according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the position structure of the door lock in the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile between the half-locked and fully locked states according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 14 Front view schematic diagram of the door lock in the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile without pulling the mechanical unlocking lever during emergency unlocking or maintenance unlocking according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 15 For Figure 14 Rear view schematic diagram of the structure shown in;

[0045] Figure 16 Front view schematic diagram of the door lock in the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile after pulling the mechanical unlocking lever during emergency unlocking or maintenance unlocking according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 17 For Figure 16 Rear view schematic diagram of the structure shown in;

[0047] Figure 18 Side view of the assembly structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Description of the reference numerals:

[0049] 1 - Lower housing; 101 - Limit groove; 2 - Lock tongue assembly; 201 - First lock position; 202 - Second lock position; 203 - First rotating shaft hole; 204 - First limit post; 205 - Limit guiding structure; 206 - Locking part; 207 - Half-lock induction part; 3 - Front cover elastic spring; 4 - Electric release lever; 401 - Slide block; 5 - Electric lever; 6 - Pawl assembly; 7 - Pawl spring; 8 - Lock tongue signal lever; 9 - Signal detection lever spring; 10 - Half-lock signal switch; 11 - Full-lock signal switch; 12 - Lever reset signal switch; 13 - Pawl signal switch; 14 - Mechanical unlocking tongue; 15 - Tongue torsion spring; 16 - Mechanical unlocking lever torsion spring; 17 - Mechanical unlocking lever; 18 - Eccentric lever; 19 - Double-connected straight-tooth rivet; 20 - Double-connected spur gear; 21 - Sector gear; 22 - Lock tongue rivet; 23 - Large sealing ring; 24 - Upper housing; 25 - Metal reinforcement bracket; 26 - Motor; 27 - Worm; 28 - Double-connected straight bevel gear; 29 - Metal base plate; 30 - Spring bushing; 31 - Plastic cover; 32 - Pawl rivet; 33 - Small sealing ring; 34 - Lock tongue lever rivet; 35 - Metal connecting plate; 36 - Pawl buffer pad. Detailed implementation manners

[0050] In order to make the technical means, achieved purposes and effects of the present invention easy to understand, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the specific drawings.

[0051] It should be noted that all the terms indicating directions and positions in the present invention, such as: "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", "top", "bottom", "lateral", "longitudinal", "center", etc., are only used to explain the relative position relationship and connection situation between components in a certain specific state (as shown in the drawings), and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, rather than requiring the present invention to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the present invention are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features.

[0052] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "mounted", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0053] In the description of this specification, the descriptions with reference to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "schematic embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0054] Embodiment 1

[0055] As Figures 1 - 18 shown, the present invention discloses an integrated electric door lock for a car front hood, including:

[0056] A motor 26 for providing driving power;

[0057] A locking assembly, including a latch assembly 2 and a pawl assembly 6, the latch assembly 2 can rotate relative to the latch rivet 22, and the pawl assembly 6 can rotate relative to the pawl rivet 32;

[0058] An electric component, including an electric lever 5, the electric lever 5 can be driven by the motor 26, and the electric lever 5 can push the pawl assembly 6 to rotate to lock or separate from the latch assembly 2 during rotation;

[0059] A manual unlocking component, including a mechanical unlocking lever 17, the mechanical unlocking lever 17 can drive the pawl assembly 6 to rotate when pulled to unlock, and perform the unlocking operation of separating the pawl assembly 6 from the latch assembly 2;

[0060] A housing assembly, including a lower housing 1 and an upper housing 24, for accommodating or fixing the motor 26, the locking assembly, the electric component and the manual unlocking component;

[0061] Wherein, the latch assembly 2 and the pawl assembly 6 include at least two position states:

[0062] Full-lock state, the pawl metal part in the pawl assembly 6 contacts and abuts against the latch metal part in the latch assembly 2 to keep the door lock in a closed state;

[0063] Full-open state, the motor 26 rotates to drive the electric unlocking lever to push the pawl assembly 6 to rotate to separate it from the latch assembly 2.

[0064] As a preferred example of the present invention, a first rotating shaft hole 203 is provided on the locking tongue assembly 2. The locking tongue rivet 22 extends into the first rotating shaft hole 203, and a front cover elastic spring 3 is arranged in the first rotating shaft hole 203. The front cover elastic spring 3 is used to apply a force to the locking tongue assembly 2 to move it in the unlocking state direction; a pawl spring 7 is arranged at the connection between the pawl assembly 6 and the pawl rivet 32. The pawl spring 7 is used to apply a force to the pawl assembly 6 to move it in the locking state direction. As an example of the present application, the front cover elastic spring 3 applies a force to the locking tongue assembly 2 to make it rotate clockwise, and the pawl spring 7 applies a force to the pawl assembly 6 to make it rotate counterclockwise. Preferably, one end of the front cover elastic spring 3 is connected to the first limiting post 204 on the locking tongue assembly 2, and the other end extends out of the locking tongue assembly 2 and is fixed.

[0065] The present invention discloses an integrated electric door lock for an automobile front cover, which integrates the functions of electric switch locking and manual unlocking. In the normal fully locked state, as Figure 2 , Figure 3 shown, the motor 26 is in a power-off state. The pawl metal part in the pawl assembly 6 contacts and abuts against the locking tongue metal part in the locking tongue assembly 2. At this time, the front cover lock catch (not shown in the figure) of the integrated electric door lock for the automobile front cover extends into the limiting groove 101 on the housing assembly and is locked by the locking part 206 on the locking tongue assembly 2. At this time, the integrated electric door lock for the automobile front cover described in the present invention is in the fully locked state; when an unlocking instruction is received, the motor 26 is powered on and drives the electric lever 5 to rotate clockwise. The electric lever 5 drives the pawl assembly 6 to rotate clockwise against the action force of the pawl spring 7. At the same time, the locking tongue assembly 2 rotates clockwise under the action of the front cover elastic spring 3. When the limiting part on the pawl assembly 6 is completely separated from the locking tongue assembly 2, as Figure 7 shown, the motor 26 is powered off, and the electric lever 5 can be delayed to reset to the initial position. At this time, the integrated electric door lock for the automobile front cover described in the present invention is in the fully open state; when a front cover closing instruction is received or the front cover is manually lowered, the front cover lock catch enters the limiting groove 101. At this time, the electric suction function of the door lock is started, and the electric lever 5 pushes the locking tongue assembly 2 to the fully locked position, as Figure 8 shown. At this time, the meshing state of the locking tongue assembly 2 and the pawl assembly 6 is as Figure 3 shown; in the case of a dead battery in the whole vehicle or other electrical faults, when the electric function of the electric front cover lock fails, the mechanical unlocking lever 17 in the manual unlocking assembly is pulled manually twice or once to unlock. The mechanical unlocking lever 17 can drive the pawl assembly 6 to rotate clockwise in the tensioned state, so that the pawl assembly 6 is completely separated from the locking tongue assembly 2 and enters the fully open state, so as to open the front cover in case of emergency or maintenance.

[0066] The present invention discloses an integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile, which integrates the functions of electric switch locking and manual unlocking, reduces the component settings, reduces the occupied space of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the automobile, facilitates the layout of the electric front hood lock on the whole vehicle, has a clever structure, and reduces the cost.

[0067] As a preferred example of the present invention, the latch assembly 2 and the pawl assembly 6 further include a semi-locked position state;

[0068] A first lock positioning 201 and a second lock positioning 202 are provided on the latch assembly 2. Among them, the first lock positioning 201 is the position where the latch assembly 2 meshes with the upper limit portion ( Figure 3 the position in contact with the first lock positioning 201) on the pawl assembly 6 and is in the fully locked state. The second lock positioning 202 is the critical position where the latch assembly 2 is disengaged from the upper limit portion of the pawl assembly 6. The position state where the upper limit portion of the pawl assembly 6 meshes with the second lock positioning 202 on the latch assembly 2 is the semi-locked position state.

[0069] This setting realizes the function of secondary signal switch locking of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the automobile, avoids the front hood from being opened or locked due to misoperation by the user during use, and ensures the reliability of the opening and closing action control of the front hood lock.

[0070] As a preferred example of the present invention, a limit guiding structure 205 is provided between the first lock positioning 201 and the second lock positioning 202, and an electric release lever 4 is provided on the pawl assembly 6. During the movement from the fully locked state to the semi-locked state, the slider 401 on the electric release lever 4 slides along the limit guiding structure 205. When in the fully open state, the slider 401 on the electric release lever 4 extends out of the limit guiding structure 205. Preferably, when in the fully open state, the slider 401 on the electric release lever 4 extends out of the limit guiding structure 205 and moves to the side of the latch assembly 2. As an example of the present invention, the limit guiding structure 205 can be a limit boss, or a limit groove or other limit guiding structures.

[0071] This setting ensures that the latch assembly 2 and the pawl assembly 6 do not separate during the movement from the fully locked state to the semi-locked state, avoids the accidental triggering of the full opening of the door lock during electric unlocking, and further improves the reliability of the opening and closing action control of the front hood lock.

[0072] As a preferred example of the present invention, after the electric lever 5 drives the pawl assembly 6 to rotate to the semi-locked position state, the electric lever 5 resets to the initial position after a preset time T. Among them, the preset time T is an empirical value. At this time, the pawl assembly 6 is abutted and limited by the second lock positioning 202 of the latch assembly 2 at the limit portion.

[0073] This setting ensures the reliability of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to the present invention in the half-locked state.

[0074] As a preferred example of the present invention, the pawl rivet 32 is arranged at one end of the metal connecting plate 35, the locking tongue rivet 22 is arranged at the other end of the metal connecting plate 35, a pawl buffer pad 36 is arranged on the lower housing 1, and the pawl buffer pad 36 is used to limit the rotation angle of the pawl assembly 6 relative to the pawl rivet 32. A metal bottom plate 29 is arranged on the side of the lower housing 1 away from the upper housing 24, and the metal connecting plate 35, the locking tongue assembly 2, and the pawl assembly 6 are arranged between the lower housing 1 and the metal bottom plate 29. Preferably, the pawl buffer pad 36 is made of resin or rubber material, which can avoid large noise or structural deformation caused by stress collision when the pawl assembly 6 returns to its position, and ensure the reliable use of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to the present invention. As an example of this application, a small sealing ring 33 is arranged at the connection between the locking tongue rivet 22 and the locking tongue assembly 2, so that a damping motion is generated when the locking tongue assembly 2 rotates relative to the locking tongue rivet 22 to form a sealing force.

[0075] As a preferred example of the present invention, a locking tongue signal lever 8 is arranged on the lower housing 1. The locking tongue signal lever 8 is rotatably connected relative to the locking tongue lever rivet 34, and a signal detection lever spring 9 is arranged at the position where the locking tongue signal lever 8 is hinged to the locking tongue lever rivet 34. During the rotation of the locking tongue assembly 2, the locking part 206 and the half-lock sensing part 207 on the locking tongue assembly 2 touch the locking tongue signal lever 8 to detect the state of the full-lock position and the half-lock position.

[0076] Preferably, a half-lock signal switch 10, a full-lock signal switch 11, a lever reset signal switch 12, and a pawl signal switch 13 are arranged on the lower housing 1. The half-lock signal switch 10 is used to contact the locking tongue signal lever 8 to detect the half-lock state position of the door lock. The full-lock signal switch 11 is used to contact the locking tongue signal lever 8 to detect the fully open state position of the door lock. The full-lock signal switch 11 is used to contact the locking part 206 of the locking tongue assembly 2 to detect the full-lock state position of the door lock. The lever reset signal switch 12 is used to contact the electric lever 5 to detect the reset state position of the electric lever 5. The pawl signal switch 13 is used to contact the pawl assembly 6 to detect the position state of the pawl assembly 6 moving to the full-lock state position, the half-lock state position, or the fully open state position. By means of the half-lock signal switch 10, the full-lock signal switch 11, the lever reset signal switch 12, and the pawl signal switch 13, the position states of the pawl assembly 6 and the locking tongue assembly 2 in the full-lock, half-lock, and fully open states and whether the electric lever 5 is in the reset position state are detected, so as to realize the reliable control of the motor 26. As an example of this application, when in use, such as Figure 2 、 Figure 3As shown, the pawl metal part in the pawl assembly 6 contacts and presses against the latch metal part in the latch assembly 2 to keep the door lock in the closed state. At this time, the door lock is in the fully locked state. If the door lock has a semi-locked function, when the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the vehicle receives an unlocking command, the motor 26 drives the electric lever 5 to push the pawl assembly 6 to rotate and separate it from the latch assembly 2. Under the action of the spring force and the sealing force, when the electric lever 5 rotates to the position where the pawl assembly 6 triggers the pawl signal switch 13 and the latch signal lever 8 triggers the semi-lock signal switch 10, the electric lever 5 stops rotating. At this time, the front hood opens to the semi-locked position, as Figure 4 、 Figure 5 shown. At the same time, after a certain delay, the electric lever 5 resets until it triggers the lever reset signal switch 12 and stops at the initial position of the electric lever 5. At this time, the door lock is in the semi-locked state. When the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the vehicle receives an unlocking command (for those with a secondary electric unlocking function configuration, the second unlocking instruction needs to be received within a certain time period to avoid mis-triggering and confirm the user's true unlocking intention), the motor 26 rotates to drive the electric lever 5 to push the pawl assembly 6 to rotate and separate it from the latch assembly 2. Under the action of the spring force and the sealing force, when the electric lever 5 rotates to the position where the pawl assembly 6 triggers the pawl signal switch 13 and the latch signal lever 8 triggers the full-lock signal switch 11, the electric lever 5 stops rotating. At this time, the latch assembly 2 is fully opened, as Figure 6 、 7 shown. At the same time, after a certain delay, the electric lever 5 resets until it triggers the lever reset signal switch 12 and stops at the initial position of the electric lever 5. At this time, the door lock is in the fully opened state. When the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the vehicle receives a command to close the front hood or the front hood is manually lowered, when the front hood lock catch enters the semi-locked position of the door lock and the latch assembly 2 does not touch the full-lock signal switch 11 and the full-lock signal switch 11 and the pawl signal switch 13 do not output corresponding logic signals, as Figure 4 、 Figure 5 shown, there is a logical judgment that this is the intention to close the door. At this time, the electric suction function is activated and the electric suction is performed until the semi-locked state is reached. When the door lock is in the semi-locked state, the motor 26 starts to drive the electric lever 5 to push the latch assembly 2 until it stops when the full-lock signal switch 11 and the pawl signal switch 13 are triggered. At this time, the door lock is electrically sucked to the fully locked position, and the electric lever 5 pushes the latch assembly 2 to the fully locked position, as Figure 8 shown. At this time, the meshing state of the latch assembly 2 and the pawl assembly 6 is as Figure 3 shown. At the same time, after a certain delay, the electric lever 5 resets until it triggers the lever reset signal switch 12 and stops at the initial position of the electric lever 5.

[0077] This setting further ensures the switching of the door lock among the fully locked, semi-locked, and fully opened states by controlling the rotation of the motor 26, and improves the reliability of the locking and unlocking of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the vehicle described in the present invention.

[0078] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the motor 26 drives the rotation of the helical gear portion of the double-gear straight bevel gear 28 through the worm 27. The straight gear portion of the double-gear straight bevel gear 28 drives the rotation of the double-gear straight gear 20. The double-gear straight gear 20 meshes with the sector gear 21 and can drive the rotation of the sector gear 21. The sector gear 21 is integrally connected with the electric shift lever 5 and can rotate along the tongue rivet 22. Preferably, the motor 26, the worm 27, and the double-gear straight gear 20 are arranged between the lower housing 1 and the upper housing 24, and the double-gear straight gear 20 rotates around the double-gear straight tooth rivet 19.

[0079] This setting further optimizes the structure of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the vehicle according to the present invention, reduces the space occupied by the transmission structure, reduces the overall volume of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the vehicle, and ensures the transmission effect of the motor 26 driving the electric shift lever 5 to rotate.

[0080] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mechanical unlocking lever 17 can rotate relative to the double-gear straight tooth rivet 19. A mechanical unlocking lever torsion spring 16 is arranged at the rotating shaft of the mechanical unlocking lever 17. The mechanical unlocking lever torsion spring 16 is used for resetting the mechanical unlocking lever 17 in a non-tensioned state.

[0081] This setting optimizes the structure of the manual unlocking assembly, reduces the number of parts, and improves the utilization rate of the internal space of the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of the vehicle according to the present invention.

[0082] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an eccentric lever 18 is sleeved on the upper end of the double-gear straight tooth rivet 19. The mechanical unlocking lever 17 is inserted into the corresponding hole of the eccentric lever 18 through a boss cylinder. When the mechanical unlocking lever 17 rotates, it can drive the eccentric lever 18 to rotate around the double-gear straight tooth rivet 19, and the double-gear straight gear 20 rotates around the eccentric lever 18. The sector gear 21 and the electric shift lever 5 are fixedly connected together and rotate around the tongue rivet 22.

[0083] In some special scenarios, such as when the door lock motor 26 fails or the power supply runs out of power during the unlocking or locking process, and it is unable to provide enough voltage to make the motor 26 rotate to generate the corresponding driving force. At this time, the failure of the electrical function will also affect the manual double-pull or single-pull unlocking function at the same time, such as Figure 13As shown, the electric lever 5 rotates to the position shown and stops, and the door lock will be between half-locked and fully locked, causing the door lock to be unable to be opened normally for maintenance or to be in an unsafe state. In order to solve the above-mentioned possible problems, the integrated automobile hood electric door lock described in this application uses an eccentric gear structure. When the above-mentioned failure occurs, the mechanical unlocking lever 17 can be pulled to drive the eccentric lever 18 to cause the double-linked spur gear 20 to rotate eccentrically, thereby separating the fan gear 21 and the double-linked spur gear 20, removing the movement obstacle of the gear set, and the door lock can be opened or completely closed. When the mechanical unlocking lever 17 is not pulled, the fan gear 21 is meshed with the double-linked spur gear 20, as shown in FIG. Figure 15 When the mechanical unlocking lever 17 is pulled, the eccentric lever 18 rotates to drive the double spur gear 20 to rotate eccentrically, so that the double spur gear 20 is engaged and separated from the sector gear 21, as shown Figure 17 As shown, at this time, the lock tongue assembly 2 can be freely rotated to achieve full opening or closing of the door lock.

[0084] This structure is synchronously integrated in the normal unlocking process, which is not only convenient for operation but also does not require the addition of new parts. This structural design or similar structural design functions are within the scope of patent protection of this product.

[0085] As a preferred example of the present invention, a mechanical unlocking tongue piece 14 is provided on the mechanical unlocking lever 17, and the mechanical unlocking tongue piece 14 can rotate relative to the mechanical unlocking lever 17, and a tongue piece torsion spring 15 is provided at the connection between the mechanical unlocking tongue piece 14 and the mechanical unlocking lever 17. This arrangement further improves the reliability of the mechanical unlocking lever 17 driving the pawl assembly 6 to rotate clockwise when being pulled.

[0086] When manually pulling to unlock, Figure 9 As shown, the door lock is in a normally closed state. If the door lock is out of power or needs to be unlocked manually, Figure 9 In the direction of the arrow on the mechanical unlocking lever 17, pull the mechanical unlocking lever 17 to drive the mechanical unlocking tongue 14 to rotate together. When the mechanical unlocking tongue 14 rotates under the drive of the mechanical unlocking lever 17, the pawl assembly 6 is pushed to rotate to complete the first-level lock unlocking, as shown in FIG. Figure 10 After the first lock position is unlocked, the external unlocking force of the mechanical unlocking lever 17 is released, and the mechanical unlocking lever 17 is reset to the position as shown under the action of the mechanical unlocking lever torsion spring 16. Figure 11 At this time, the mechanical unlocking lever 17 is pulled again, and the mechanical unlocking tongue 14 pushes the pawl assembly 6 to rotate again to complete the secondary unlocking, and the door lock is completely unlocked under the joint action of the front cover pop-up spring 3. Similar to the above unlocking process, if the user chooses to unlock once, the unlocking principle is as follows Figure 12As shown, when pulling the mechanical unlocking lever 17, the mechanical unlocking lever 17 drives the pawl assembly 6 to directly unlock, that is, to open the door lock at one time. Through part interchange, the single-pull unlocking and double-pull unlocking can be interchanged. The design principle and idea are protected by this patent.

[0087] As an example of the present invention, the integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile further includes a spring bushing 30, a plastic cover 31, a metal reinforcement bracket 25, a large sealing ring 23, a pawl buffer pad 36, etc. The exploded structure of the above structures is shown in Figure 1 as shown.

[0088] The integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile described in the present invention mainly includes upper and lower plastic shells, a motor, a gear set, a lever, a locking tongue assembly, a pawl assembly, a manual unlocking lever, a metal substrate, a metal reinforcement plate, a seal, a spring, etc. When receiving the electric opening instruction for the front hood (controlled by a remote control key, a touch screen, etc.), the motor 26 starts to rotate, driving the electric lever 5 to push the pawl assembly 6 to unlock; when the vehicle receives the front hood closing instruction (controlled by a remote control key, an in-vehicle touch screen, etc.), when the front hood lock catches trigger the half-lock signal switch, the motor 26 rotates the electric lever 5 to push the locking tongue assembly 2 to close the front hood. In the case of a dead battery in the whole vehicle or other electrical failures, when the electric function of the electric front hood lock fails, it can be unlocked by manual single-pull or double-pull functions to open the front hood in case of emergency or maintenance.

[0089] The integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile described in the present invention integrates the electric opening, closing and manual double-pull functions of the front hood lock into an integrated design, and has the advantages of small size, light weight, low cost, high safety, and can realize the intelligent control of the whole vehicle.

[0090] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated electric door lock for the front hood of a vehicle, characterized in that, it includes: A locking component, including a latch component (2) and a pawl component (6), the latch component (2) can rotate relative to the latch rivet (22), and the pawl component (6) can rotate relative to the pawl rivet (32); Wherein, a first rotating shaft hole (203) is provided on the latch component (2), the latch rivet (22) extends into the first rotating shaft hole (203), and a front hood pop-up spring (3) is provided in the first rotating shaft hole (203), and the front hood pop-up spring (3) is used to apply a force to the latch component (2) to move in the direction of the unlocking state; a pawl spring (7) is provided at the connection between the pawl component (6) and the pawl rivet (32), and the pawl spring (7) is used to apply a force to the pawl component (6) to move in the direction of the locking state; An electric component, including an electric lever (5), the electric lever (5) can be driven by a motor (26), and the electric lever (5) can push the pawl component (6) to rotate and lock or separate from the latch component (2) during rotation, and the electric lever (5) can drive the latch component (2) to rotate in the opposite direction of the opening direction for the electric suction of the latch component (2); Wherein, the latch component (2) and the pawl component (6) include at least two position states: Full lock state, the pawl metal part in the pawl component (6) contacts and abuts against the latch metal part in the latch component (2) to keep the door lock in the closed state; Fully open state, the motor (26) rotates to drive the electric unlocking lever to push the pawl component (6) to rotate and separate it from the latch component (2); A manual unlocking component, including a mechanical unlocking lever (17), the mechanical unlocking lever (17) can drive the pawl component (6) to rotate during pulling and unlocking, and perform the unlocking operation of separating the pawl component (6) from the latch component (2); A housing component, including a lower housing (1) and an upper housing (24), for accommodating or fixing the motor (26), the locking component, the electric component and the manual unlocking component; Wherein, the latch component (2) and the pawl component (6) also include a semi-lock position state; A first lock positioning (201) and a second lock positioning (202) are provided on the latch component (2). Among them, the first lock positioning (201) is the position where the upper limit part on the latch component (2) and the pawl component (6) meshes and is in the full lock state, and the second lock positioning (202) is the critical position where the upper limit part on the latch component (2) and the pawl component (6) is disengaged. The position state where the upper limit part on the pawl component (6) meshes with the second lock positioning (202) on the latch component (2) is the semi-lock position state; A limit guiding structure (205) is arranged between the first locking position (201) and the second locking position (202). An electric release lever (4) is arranged on the pawl assembly (6). During the movement from the fully locked state to the semi-locked state, the slider (401) on the electric release lever (4) slides along the limit guiding structure (205). When in the fully open state, the slider (401) on the electric release lever (4) extends out of the limit guiding structure (205).

2. The integrated electric door lock for a vehicle front hood according to claim 1, characterized in that, a pawl buffer pad (36) is arranged on the lower housing (1). The pawl buffer pad (36) is used to limit the rotation angle of the pawl assembly (6) relative to the pawl rivet (32). A metal bottom plate (29) is arranged on the side of the lower housing (1) away from the upper housing (24). The latch assembly (2) and the pawl assembly (6) are arranged between the lower housing (1) and the metal bottom plate (29).

3. The integrated electric door lock for a vehicle front hood according to claim 2, characterized in that, a latch signal lever (8) is arranged on the lower housing (1). The latch signal lever (8) is rotatably connected relative to the latch lever rivet (34). A signal detection lever spring (9) is arranged at the position where the latch signal lever (8) is hinged to the latch lever rivet (34). During the rotation of the latch assembly (2), the locking part (206) and the semi-lock sensing part (207) on the latch assembly (2) touch the latch signal lever (8) to detect the states of the fully locked position and the semi-locked position.

4. The integrated electric door lock for a vehicle front hood according to claim 3, characterized in that, a semi-lock signal switch (10), a full-lock signal switch (11), a lever reset signal switch (12) and a pawl signal switch (13) are arranged on the lower housing (1). The semi-lock signal switch (10) is used to contact the latch signal lever (8) to detect the semi-lock state position of the door lock. The full-lock signal switch (11) is used to contact the latch signal lever (8) to detect the fully open state position of the door lock. The full-lock signal switch (11) is used to contact the locking part (206) of the latch assembly (2) to detect the fully locked state position of the door lock. The lever reset signal switch (12) is used to contact the electric lever (5) to detect the reset state position of the electric lever (5). The pawl signal switch (13) is used to contact the pawl assembly (6) to detect the fully locked state position, the semi-locked state position or the fully open state position of the pawl assembly (6).

5. The integrated electric door lock for a vehicle front hood according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, the mechanical unlocking lever (17) drives the pawl assembly (6) to perform single-pull unlocking, or the mechanical unlocking lever (17) drives the pawl assembly (6) to perform double-pull unlocking.

6. The integrated electric door lock for a vehicle front hood according to claim 5, characterized in that, A mechanical unlocking tongue piece (14) is provided on the mechanical unlocking lever (17). The mechanical unlocking tongue piece (14) can rotate relative to the mechanical unlocking lever (17), and a tongue piece torsion spring (15) is provided at the connection between the mechanical unlocking tongue piece (14) and the mechanical unlocking lever (17).

7. The integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to claim 6, characterized in that, the motor (26) drives the rotation of the helical gear part of the double-helical spur gear (28) through a worm (27). The spur gear part in the double-helical spur gear (28) drives the rotation of the double spur gear (20). The double spur gear (20) meshes with the sector gear (21) and can drive the rotation of the sector gear (21). The sector gear (21) is integrally connected with the electric lever (5) and can rotate along the latch rivet (22). The double spur gear (20) rotates around the double spur gear rivet (19).

8. The integrated electric door lock for the front hood of an automobile according to claim 7, characterized in that, an eccentric lever (18) is sleeved on the upper end of the double spur gear rivet (19). The mechanical unlocking lever (17) is inserted into the corresponding hole of the eccentric lever (18) through a boss cylinder. When the mechanical unlocking lever (17) rotates, it can drive the eccentric lever (18) to rotate around the double spur gear rivet (19). The double spur gear (20) rotates around the eccentric lever (18). The sector gear (21) is fixedly connected with the electric lever (5) and rotates around the latch rivet (22).

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