Motor vehicle lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which is equipped with a locking device (1, 2) consisting essentially of a bolt (1) and a pawl (2). Furthermore, an actuating lever system (9, 10, 11, 12) for the locking device (1, 2) is provided. Furthermore, at least one functional unit (14, 15, 16; 16 ') driven by the motor (7, 13) is provided. 8, 13), which are selectively accommodated in the respective lock housing (3, 4) in an exchangeable manner. According to the invention, the functional units (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) is designed to open the drive (14, 15, 16) and / or the active inertia unit (8, 13).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which comprises: a locking device mainly composed of a lock tongue and a lock claw; an operating rod system for the locking device; and at least one functional unit driven by a motor, which is selectively and replaceably received in a corresponding lock housing. Background Art

[0002] Motor vehicle locks, in particular motor vehicle door locks, are known for their increasing complexity. This is probably due to the fact that electric actuators are now used not only for central locking or for electric opening. In addition, such electric drives are increasingly used for safety units, such as child safety units, anti-theft units, etc. Inertial units also have such electric drives, with which, for example, the movement of inertial elements can be blocked. This is the subject of DE 10 2020 102 084 A1, for example, which improves safety overall.

[0003] The increasing variety of variants of motor vehicle locks, in particular motor vehicle door locks, is accompanied in practice by an equally increasing number of variants of motor vehicles. This results in an exponentially or at least greatly increasing variety of variants of motor vehicle locks, in particular motor vehicle door locks, depending on which vehicle model is to be equipped and which comfort level or security level is to be implemented. In practice, this leads to an increase in production costs, typically because the lock housing must be adapted to the functional units to be accommodated therein.

[0004] Although the prior art according to WO 2016 / 078638 A1 has provided the following means to replace individual components and thereby reduce the design costs. Here, the following design is adopted, that is, a drive device with an electric motor selectively acts on the locking device and / or the locking element. Here, the interaction is achieved through at least one replaceable intermediate element. Depending on the desired function, the intermediate element is a locking intermediate element, an opening intermediate element or a locking intermediate element.

[0005] In the prior art of this type according to WO 2014 / 032640 A1, the following measures are taken as a whole, namely, the functional unit in the form of a safety unit driven by an electric motor is designed as a retrofit module, which can be connected to the basic module that mostly includes a locking device, an operating lever system and a locking unit as required. For this purpose, the retrofit module has a retrofit module housing, which can be plugged into the corresponding basic module housing. For this purpose, the two housings are equipped with corresponding centering means. The following task is achieved as a whole, namely, different assembly variants of the relevant motor vehicle lock can be provided according to actual needs while achieving significant cost advantages. For this purpose, the known motor vehicle locks are equipped with or without a safety unit or an associated retrofit module.

[0006] The securing unit is typically an anti-theft unit, which generally prevents a motor vehicle door equipped with a corresponding motor vehicle lock from being opened from the inside in an unauthorized manner after a window pane is damaged or broken. Such an anti-theft unit is also optional.

[0007] The prior art has been proven in principle, because the basic module implemented here can be equipped with or without an add-on module or a safety unit as required. As a result, the customer can decide individually whether the motor vehicle lock or motor vehicle door lock is to be equipped with a safety unit. This has been proven in principle.

[0008] In addition to the safety units of the prior art of this type corresponding to WO 2014 / 032 640 A1, further requirements are now being made for possible retrofitting, in particular for operation on the same production line. This usually requires the selective installation of multiple functional units or only one functional unit or no functional unit in the lock housing and the matching of the actuating lever. There have been no convincing practical proposals for this so far. Summary of the invention

[0009] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to develop such a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, in such a way that the variant options are increased compared to the previous prior art and the possibility of configuration in a production line at the factory is achieved.

[0010] In order to solve this technical problem, the present invention proposes, with respect to this type of motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, that the functional unit is designed as an opening drive and / or an active inertial unit. The term "element" in this respect can be understood not only as a single component (element), but also as a functional unit or module having the function of an inertial locking device / collision locking device. Therefore, it is particularly advantageous according to the present invention that the functional unit can represent an electric opening function, an inertial locking function, or both. The inertial locking function can be understood in particular as at least one function of an active inertial unit (unit). This can at least involve the engagement and disengagement of a coupling element or a locking element. Alternatively or additionally, a TCR function can also be obtained.

[0011] Advantageously, the opening drive, in particular the motor of the opening drive, can realize the electric opening and / or TCR function of the locking device (see below for definition). It is also conceivable that the drive unit, in particular the motor, can realize other lock functions, such as the anti-theft function and / or the child safety function and / or the central locking function (central locking function). In order to enable the drive unit, in particular the motor, to perform the corresponding listed functions, the lock, in particular the lock housing, is designed so that only different transmission mechanisms and / or rods need to be used. Alternatively, another additional motor can also be used. Accordingly, one motor can be used for the opening function and one or more other motors can be used for other functions.

[0012] In addition, it is advantageous to adopt the following measures, that is, the operating lever system is selectively designed as an inner operating lever system, an outer operating lever system or a combined inner / outer operating lever system. In this respect, at least the outer operating lever system is modularly constructed and can be selected to be received in the lock housing or not received in the lock housing.

[0013] By means of this measure of the present invention, the number of conceivable variants is first significantly increased compared to the prior art. Therefore, unlike the teaching of this type described in WO 2014 / 032640 A1, the present invention does not (any more) involve considering or not considering the safety unit according to the installation module. Instead, the present invention is based on: the opening drive, the active inertial unit, the two functional units or none of the two functional units can be selectively replaced. In connection with the selective design of the operating lever system as an inner operating lever system, an outer operating lever system or a combined inner / outer operating lever system, 12 different variants (variants of four functional units, variants of three operating lever systems) have been formed. In this case, when the external operating part is supplemented or the work is performed without the external operating part for opening the drive, the variant feasibility scheme can also be increased to a total of 24 variants. In the simplest case, the external actuation is a sensor associated with the outside door handle, which detects the external actuation of the outside door handle and reports it to a control unit, which then energizes an electric motor as part of the opening drive in order to be able to open the locking device and thus the corresponding motor vehicle door.

[0014] Here, all the variants described (whose number can be increased in principle) can already be realized and implemented on the factory side in terms of production technology or lock housing. For this purpose, for all variants, the housing or lock housing that receives the entire motor vehicle lock or motor vehicle door lock is advantageously equipped with a stopper, a support, a receiving portion, etc. In this regard, it has been proven to be particularly advantageous that the lock housing is designed as a plastic injection molded part and is therefore manufactured by an injection molding process. Thus, the stopper, the support, and the receiving portion can be realized in one piece with the lock housing. In addition, the stopper, the support, the receiving portion, etc. can be easily and automatically integrated into the production process for the lock housing. In addition, the following design can be adopted, that is, the lock housing is universally equipped with the stopper, the support, the receiving portion, etc. for all variants, that is, only one variant is provided for the lock housing in the end, and the elements of the motor vehicle lock are equipped during the production process. This simplifies storage and makes manufacturing easy.

[0015] In practice, the stop can be a stop for the locking device, for individual rods of the operating lever system or for one or more motors. As a support, for example, a support pin formed on the lock housing is used, which can be used to support the individual rods of the operating lever system. The support can also be a support spindle for the bolt and the pawl, which is generally confined in a metal lock box as a further component of the lock housing in addition to the cover made of plastic.

[0016] The above-mentioned receiving portion provided in the lock housing can be used to place and orient the relevant motor or the drive wheel as a component of the transmission mechanism downstream of the corresponding motor. In any case, all stops, bearings, receiving portions, etc. can be implemented in the lock housing and used for all variants. In this case, this leads to the fact that individual stops, bearings or receiving portions are not used and are not required in the variant of simple construction, but the above situation can be ignored without problem for the unified manufacture of the lock housing, especially the cover as a component of the lock housing is a plastic injection molded part to be produced cost-effectively. In any case, a special manufacturing simplification can be achieved, because the same lock housing is used for different variants and is used independently of the corresponding assembly of the motor vehicle lock. This is the main advantage of the present invention.

[0017] In order to implement this concretely, the functional unit can be equipped with its own functional housing. This functional housing is removably received in the lock housing as a replacement insert. Thus, the functional housing can be used and designed, for example, to receive an opening drive, alternatively an active inertia unit, or a functional unit and an active inertia unit. In principle, if a very simple motor vehicle lock is desired without an opening drive and an active inertia unit, the relevant functional unit, and therefore the replacement insert, does not need to be installed in the lock housing at all.

[0018] The functional housing itself is advantageously designed as a plastic injection molded part. For this purpose, the functional housing, similar to the lock housing, has stops, bearings, receptacles, etc. for one or more functional units received therein. For example, one or more receptacles can be used for a motor as an opening drive or as a component of an active inertial unit. By means of the bearing, for example, a worm gear as a component of the opening drive can be supported in the functional housing. The corresponding stops ensure that, in the example case, the opening drive can only be moved within certain limits.

[0019] In order to couple the functional housing to the lock housing, the functional housing can be detachably connected to the lock housing, for example, in a locking manner, a snap-fitting manner or in another manner. Of course, a threaded connection between the functional housing and the lock housing is also conceivable. In principle, it is also possible to work with multiple functional housings in the lock housing, for example a functional housing for accommodating an opening drive and a second functional housing for an active inertial unit.

[0020] The active inertial unit is preferably an element whose movement can be locked or released by means of a corresponding electric motor, which is described in detail in the above-mentioned prior art according to DE 10 2020 102 084 A1. That is, the electric motor provided here actively intervenes in the function of the inertial element, which is different from a passively working inertial element, the movement of which cannot be locked or influenced, for example. It is also advantageous that the electric motor is connected to the external operating lever in the event of a collision, so that external operation can be achieved. This insurance function known as TCR (temporary collision redundancy) can increase collision safety, in particular in conjunction with an active inertial locking device or an active inertial unit. The active inertial unit is used to lock the external operation in the event of a collision, so that the lock cannot be unlocked or opened unintentionally. TCR makes it possible to enter the vehicle again from the outside after a collision (the door or hatch can be opened by a handle). It is advantageous that the TCR function is connected to the external operating lever by means of the electric motor. This can be achieved particularly advantageously regardless of whether the anti-theft function, the central locking function or the inertial locking / crash locking function prohibits external operation.

[0021] In summary, this feasibility provides the option of controlling the coupling of the associated coupling rods as a component of the control lever system as a whole not only by means of the inertial unit, but also by means of an electric motor as a component of the active inertial unit. The active inertial unit is particularly distinguished in that the mechanical blocking of the inertial unit, which can be achieved by means of the electric motor, enables a reliable connection or opening of the associated control lever system in any case. In this case, if the movement of the inertial unit is blocked, the control lever system can be loaded, for example, starting from the outer door handle. As long as the inertial unit remains in its initial position, the associated coupling rods usually remain disengaged and this does not lead to the release of the locking device. As a result, the locking device is prevented from opening in any case.

[0022] As mentioned at the outset, the external operating lever system is advantageously designed in a modular manner. For this purpose, the external operating lever system can be equipped with its own lever system housing. Here, the lever system housing can be removably received in the lock housing as a replacement plug-in similar to the functional housing. In this case, the lever system housing is also advantageously designed as a plastic injection molded part and is equipped with stops, bearings, receiving parts, etc. for the rods of the external operating lever system received therein. In addition, the lever system housing in question can advantageously be removably fixed in the lock housing, for example, in a locking manner, a snap-on manner or in another manner.

[0023] The invention also relates to a method for selectively manufacturing a motor vehicle lock, as described in detail in claims 9 and 10. A motor vehicle lock and an associated method for manufacturing the same are therefore proposed, which are distinguished by a functionally adapted structure and the possibility of manufacturing on the same production line. This can be attributed to the fact that a number of different embodiment variants can be realized and implemented using a virtually identical (structural) lock housing. This was not previously considered possible in terms of the result and design form, so that overall production and cost advantages are achieved. Therefore, "using the same lock housing" enables the use of a plurality of identical components for different variants, each of which requires its own components for implementation. This is a major advantage of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing possible embodiments; in which:

[0025] Figure 1 A motor vehicle lock according to the invention with an active inertial unit is shown.

[0026] Figure 2 A motor vehicle lock according to the invention is shown with an installed opening drive. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The accompanying drawings show a motor vehicle lock, which is a motor vehicle door lock. The basic structure of the motor vehicle lock has a locking device 1, 2 which is mainly composed of a lock tongue 1 and a lock claw 2. For this purpose, the lock tongue 1 and the lock claw 2 are supported in a lock box 3. The lock box 3 is combined with a cover 4, thereby defining a lock housing 3, 4 as a whole. The metal lock box 3 is made of high-strength steel, for example, and the cover 4 is a plastic injection molded part. As a result, the cover 4 and the lock housing 3, 4 as a whole can be equipped with a stop part 5, a support part 6 and a receiving part 7, which are only schematically sketched by way of example in the accompanying drawings and only occasionally have figure marks. Here, for all the variants to be discussed below, the stop part 5, the support part 6 and the receiving part 7 involved are all defined in the relevant cover 4 made of plastic and therefore in the lock housing 3, 4, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 That is, the motor vehicle locks, in particular motor vehicle door locks, which will be described in more detail below, all have identical lock housings 3, 4, regardless of the functions implemented and the variants thus implemented. This makes production and warehousing easier.

[0028] Furthermore, the lock housing 3, 4 is equipped with an actuating lever system 9, 10, 11, 12 for the locking device 1, 2. For this purpose, the actuating lever system 9, 10, 11, 12 has a release lever 9, a control lever 10, an inner actuating lever 11 and a coupling lever 12.

[0029] It can be seen that the release lever 9 and the inner operating lever 11 are mounted coaxially with respect to a common axis A. When the coupling rod 12 is engaged, a load on the inner operating lever 11 in the clockwise direction about the axis 14 causes the inner operating lever 11 to be coupled to the release lever 9 in a rotationally fixed manner and in this way transmits a clockwise movement to the release lever 9, which can thereby release the pawl 2 from its locking engagement with the bolt 1. In this case, the components in the lock housing 3, 4, namely the bolt 1, the pawl 2, the release lever 9, the control lever 10, the inner operating lever 11 and the coupling rod 12 are arranged in accordance with Figure 1 and Figure 2 This also applies to the stop 5, the support 6 and the receiving portion 7.

[0030] Herein according to Figure 1 In the context of a variant of the invention, an active inertial unit 8, 13 is additionally provided, which is only used for Figure 1 The variation shown in Figure 2 Here, the inertial units 8, 13 consist of an inertial rod 8 and a corresponding motor 13, which is Figure 1 The lock housing 3 , 4 is only schematically indicated and can be received in a corresponding receptacle 7 .

[0031] The inertia lever 8 can be locked or locked by means of the motor 13. This is usually done when the inertia lever 8 is Figure 1 If the inertial rod 8 is in the initial position corresponding to Figure 1 In the shown initial position, the control rod 10 connected to the inertia lever 8 by the pin cannot be moved because the motor 13 is locked. This will cause the coupling rod 12 to deflect.

[0032] The blocking of the inertia lever 8 thus results in the disengagement of the actuating levers 9, 10, 11, 12, since the coupling rod 12 is thereby deflected. This corresponds to the idle travel of the actuating levers 9, 10, 11, 12, since, for example, the corresponding loading of the inner actuating lever 12 is ineffective. If, however, the inertia lever 8 is not blocked by the motor 13, the coupling rod 12 can be engaged and the actuating levers 9, 10, 11, 12 can be mechanically locked in this way, so that in this case the inner actuating lever 11 and the release lever 9 are coupled to each other in a rotationally fixed manner, and the joint loading of these in the clockwise direction about the common axis A results in the locking devices 1, 2 being able to be opened as described. For this purpose, it is necessary, for example, that the inertia lever 8 is coupled to the coupling rod 12 by the inertia forces acting in the event of a crash and that the actuating levers 9, 10, 11, 12 are connected for emergency actuation.

[0033] exist Figure 1 and Figure 2It can be clearly seen from the comparison that the active inertial units 8 and 13 are Figure 2 does not exist or is not installed in the variant. Figure 2 Embodiment variants of the present invention have an opening drive 14, 15, 16. The opening drive 14, 15, 16 comprises in particular a motor 14 and an opening wheel 15 which is rotated by the output shaft of the motor 14. The opening wheel 15 in turn acts on a transmission lever 16 which acts directly on the release lever 9 and, in the case of corresponding loading, rotates the release lever 9 in the counterclockwise direction about its axis A so that the locking device 1, 2 can be opened.

[0034] According to this embodiment, the opening drive means 14, 15, 16 correspond to Figure 2 The diagram in FIG. 1 defines the first functional units 14, 15, 16. The active inertial units 8, 13 define the second functional units 8, 13. It can be seen that according to Figure 1 In the variant of the motor vehicle lock of the invention, the first functional unit or the opening drive 14, 15, 16 is not provided, but instead the active inertial unit 8, 13 or the second functional unit 8, 13 is accommodated in the lock housing 3, 4. In contrast, the motor vehicle lock according to the invention corresponds to Figure 2 The configuration or variant of the illustration in FIG. 1 is designed so that in this case the first functional unit or the opening drive 14, 15, 16 is arranged in the lock housing 3, 4, while in this case there is no second functional unit or active inertial unit 8, 13. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The described possibilities, namely the related motor vehicle locks with identical locking devices 1, 2 in common lock housings 3, 4 and actuating lever systems 9, 10, 11, 12, are on the one hand Figure 2 The first functional unit is provided in the diagram and on the other hand according to Figure 1 The second functional unit 8 , 13 is provided, but there are other options, namely to provide both functional units 14 , 15 ; 8 , 13 in the lock housing 3 , 4 at the same time, or to completely dispense with both functional units, which is not shown in detail, however.

[0035] In any case, it can be seen that according to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The two assembly variants have a number of identical components, namely the actuating levers 9, 10, 11, 12 connected to the lock housings 3, 4 and the locking devices 1, 2. Only the functional units 14, 15, 16; 8, 13 are realized in a different way and are present in the lock housings 3, 4. Figure 1 The variant of the protection is equipped with a second functional unit or inertial unit 8, 13, and according to Figure 2However, the embodiment variant has a first functional unit or an opening drive 14 , 15 , 16 .

[0036] In addition, the lever system 9, 10, 11, 12 can be selectively designed as an inner lever system, an outer lever system or a combined inner / outer lever system. According to this embodiment, the lever system 9, 10, 11, 12 is only designed as an inner lever system 9, 10, 11, 12. An additional possible and desired outer lever system can be added modularly. Thus, the outer lever system realized in this way can also be designed as a whole in a modular manner and can be selectively placed or not placed in the lock housing 3, 4.

[0037] The possibility is not shown that the respective functional unit 14, 15, 16; 8, 13 is accommodated in its own associated functional housing. The functional housing itself can be placed in the lock housing 3, 4 in a removable manner as a replacement insert. Of course, it is also possible to work with multiple functional units 14, 15, 16; 8, 13 in a functional housing that is not shown, which is also not explicitly shown.

[0038] There is also the possibility that the modularly constructed outer actuating lever according to the embodiment is placed in its own lever housing in the form of an outer actuating lever that can be additionally plugged onto the axis A. Here, the lever housing can also be removably received in the lock housing 3, 4 as a replacement insert. However, this is also not shown in the embodiment.

[0039] In any case, the motor vehicle lock, in particular the motor vehicle door lock, according to the invention can be manufactured particularly simply and cost-effectively. For this purpose, it is only necessary that the common lock housing 3, 4 for all variants is first equipped with the locking device 1, 2 and then equipped with a consistent actuation lever system 9, 10, 11, 12. In this case, depending on the assembly variant, a second functional unit or an active inertial unit 8, 13 can be placed in the lock housing 3, 4, thereby providing a locking device according to the embodiment of the invention. Figure 1 However, as an alternative to this, the first functional unit or the opening drive 14, 15, 16 can also be arranged in the lock housing 3, 4 without the inertial unit 8, 13. Figure 2 variants.

[0040] The possibility of equipping the motor vehicle lock with a first functional unit 14, 15, 16; a second functional unit 8, 13; two functional units 14, 15, 16; 8, 13; or without any of the two functional units 14, 15, 16; 8, 13 can be realized and implemented on the same production line. This can be basically attributed to the consistent motor vehicle lock housing 3, 4, which is equipped with a stop 5, a support 6 and a receiving part 7 for all variants. This is a major advantage of the present invention.

[0041] List of reference numerals:

[0042] Lock tongue 1

[0043] Locking claw 2

[0044] Locking device 1, 2

[0045] Lock Box 3

[0046] Lock housing 3, 4

[0047] Cover 4

[0048] Stopper 5

[0049] Supporting part 6

[0050] Reception section 7

[0051] Inertia rod 8

[0052] Inertial unit 8, 13

[0053] Functional units 8, 13

[0054] Release lever 9

[0055] Control rod 10

[0056] Internal joystick 11

[0057] Connecting rod 12

[0058] Joystick system 9, 10, 11, 12

[0059] Motor 13

[0060] Axis A

[0061] Motor 14

[0062] Functional units 14, 15, 16; 8, 13

[0063] Open wheel 15

[0064] Transfer rod 16

[0065] Open drive 14, 15, 16

Claims

1. A motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, comprising: a locking device (1, 2) mainly consisting of a locking tongue (1) and a locking claw (2); an operating lever system (9, 10, 11, 12) for the locking device (1, 2); at least one functional unit (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) driven by a motor (7, 13), the at least one functional unit being selectively and replaceably received in a corresponding lock housing (3, 4), It is characterized in that The functional unit (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) is designed as an opening drive (14, 15, 16) and / or as an active inertial unit (8, 13).

2. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, characterized in that: The joystick system (9, 10, 11, 12) is selectively designed as an inner joystick system (9, 10, 11, 12), an outer joystick system or a combined inner / outer joystick system.

3. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least the outer operating lever is modularly constructed and can be selectively received in the lock housing (3, 4) or not received in the lock housing.

4. The motor vehicle lock according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: For all variants, the lock housing (3, 4) is equipped with a stop (5), a support (6), a receiving portion (7) and the like.

5. The motor vehicle lock according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The respective functional unit (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) is equipped with its own functional housing which is removably received in the lock housing (3, 4) as a replacement insert.

6. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 5, characterized in that: The functional housing is provided with a stop portion (5), a support portion (6), a receiving portion (7) and the like in order to receive one or more functional units (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) therein.

7. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The functional housing is detachably received in the lock housing (3, 4) in a locking manner, a snap-fit ​​manner or other manner, for example.

8. The motor vehicle lock according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that: The external operating lever is provided with its own lever housing, which is removably received in the lock housing as a replacement insert and is advantageously provided with a stop (5), a support (6), a receiving portion (7), etc. for receiving the external operating lever therein.

9. A method for manufacturing a motor vehicle lock, the motor vehicle lock having: a locking device (1, 2) mainly consisting of a locking tongue (1) and a locking claw (2); an operating lever system (9, 10, 11, 12) for the locking device (1, 2); at least one functional unit (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) driven by a motor (7, 13), the corresponding functional unit (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) being received in a corresponding lock housing (3, 4) in a replaceable manner, characterized in that The functional unit (14, 15, 16; 8, 13) is designed as an opening drive (14, 15, 16) and / or as an active inertial unit (8).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that For all variants, the lock housings (3, 4) are provided with stops (5), supports (6), receptacles (7) etc. during the production of the lock housings, for example during an injection molding method.

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