Lock assembly

Abstract

The invention relates to a lock assembly comprising a locking mechanism consisting of a rotary latch and a locking member for locking a lock catch of the lock assembly, the locking member having a toggle lever device which is preloaded at its dead point with a spring element, wherein the toggle lever device has a first lever arm, a first rotary joint, a second rotary joint, a second lever arm and a third rotary joint. The object of the present invention is to create a lock assembly that provides clearance compensation between a latch and a rotating latch in a closed position and further provides a closing aid without adding components. The solution of the invention to achieve this purpose is that the third rotary joint (11) can be moved in an oblong hole (12) or in a control element (21) of the rotary latch (4), the lock assembly (1) has an intermediate position between an open position and a closed position, in which the latch (3) has been at least partially surrounded by a recess (13) of the rotary latch (4), a stop (14) of the first lever arm (7) rests against a mating stop (15) of the rotary latch (4), and a cam mechanism formed between a portion (16) of the rotary latch (4) and a portion (17) of the first lever arm (7) engages, the third rotary joint (11) being driven by a spring element (6) acting on the toggle lever device during the transfer from the intermediate position to the closed position, and the cam mechanism is guided to move in an oblong hole (12) or a control piece (21) of the rotary plunger latch (4).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lock assembly, including a locking mechanism which consists of a rotary latch and a locking member for locking the latch of the lock assembly. The locking member has a toggle device which is pre-tensioned by a spring element at its dead center. In the closed position of the lock assembly, the latch is at least partially surrounded by the groove of the rotary latch. In the open position, the latch abuts against the rotary latch but is not surrounded by the groove of the rotary latch. One lever arm of the toggle device is hinged to the lock housing of the lock assembly through a first rotary joint on one hand and connected to the second lever arm of the toggle device through a second rotary joint on the other hand. The second lever arm is connected to the rotary latch through a third rotary joint. Background Art

[0002] In the automotive field, lock assemblies are used, for example, to lock side doors, rear lids, hoods or flip-up seat backs. However, in other fields, lock assemblies are also used to lock flip-up elements to mating elements.

[0003] Lock assemblies generally consist of at least a latch, a rotary latch and a locking element. In the open position of the lock assembly, the latch is movable relative to the rotary latch, and the flap element connected to the latch can be opened. When the flap element is closed, the latch moves into the groove of the rotary latch, and the rotary latch rotatably mounted on the lock housing then rotates, and the groove at least partially surrounds the latch. Subsequently, the locking member engages with the rotary latch to prevent the rotary latch from rotating back. In this position, the movement of the latch for opening the flap element is inhibited. Depending on the design of the lock assembly, in addition to the main engagement position, a pre-engagement position can also be provided in the locked state.

[0004] According to the prior art, there are many solutions for the locking member. For example, some known designs only provide one locking pawl. In other designs, the locking member is formed by a toggle device. For example, the lock assemblies disclosed in WO 2015 / 032383 A2 or DE 44 46464A1 are of this kind.

[0005] DE 44 46 464 A1 describes a lock assembly including a locking mechanism composed of a rotary latch and a locking member for locking the latch of the lock assembly. The locking member has a toggle device which is pre-tensioned by a spring element at the dead center position. One lever arm of the toggle device is hinged to the lock housing through a first rotary joint on the one hand and connected to the second lever arm of the toggle device through a second rotary joint on the other hand. The second lever arm is in turn connected to the rotary latch through a third rotary joint. In the closed position of the lock assembly, the latch is at least partially surrounded by the groove of the rotary latch, thereby inhibiting the movement of the latch. In the open position, the latch is released by the rotary latch. A helical spring is provided at the hinge of the first lever arm on the lock housing, and when the toggle device exceeds its unstable position, the helical spring drives the toggle device to move.

[0006] However, in practical applications, such a lock assembly often tends to make noise because there is usually a certain gap when the latch is surrounded by the groove of the rotary latch. In addition, another component must be provided as a closing aid for automatically closing the lock assembly. However, due to the small installation space, this is usually not possible. More components will also increase the cost of the lock assembly. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to create a lock assembly that provides gap compensation between the latch and the rotary latch in the closed position and further provides a closing aid without adding components.

[0008] The solution of the present invention to achieve this object is that the third rotary joint can move in an oblong hole or a control member of the rotary latch. During the transfer from the open position to the closed position, the lock assembly is in an intermediate position, in which the latch has been at least partially surrounded by the groove of the rotary latch, and the stop of the first lever arm abuts against the mating stop of the rotary latch. In addition, a cam mechanism formed between a part of the rotary latch and a part of the first lever arm engages in the intermediate position. During the transfer from the intermediate position to the closed position, the third rotary joint is driven by a spring element acting on the toggle device and guided by the cam mechanism to move in the oblong hole or the control member of the rotary latch.

[0009] In the lock assembly of the present invention, the movement of the third swivel joint in the oblong hole of the rotary latch or in the control member causes the rotary latch to rotate further until the lock catch is fixed in a clamping manner between the upper edge of the groove of the rotary latch and the edge of the lock housing. Thereby, clearance compensation between the lock catch and the rotary latch is achieved in the closed position. The spring element holds the third swivel joint in the moved position in the oblong hole or the control member. By the length of the oblong hole in the rotary latch or the size of the control member and the shape of the cam mechanism, the clearance compensation can be scaled according to specific applications. Compared with the known lock assemblies with clearance compensation in the prior art, the lock assembly of the present invention is characterized by fewer components, thus being compact in design and optimized in terms of weight. Due to the pre-tension of the spring, the clearance compensation is effective, and the closed position is achieved through the geometric design of the swivel joint as a dead-point locking mechanism.

[0010] The design of the planar control member (forming a groove on the rotary latch for movably accommodating the third swivel joint) also provides the possibility of moving the third swivel joint and influencing the opening and closing characteristics. (By means of the control member, a targeted influence can be exerted on the force-displacement characteristics, such as the non-linear angular velocity of the rotary latch during the closing process).

[0011] The lock assembly of the present invention can be installed in applications in the following ways: The lock catch is fastened to the flap element (such as the rear lid of a vehicle), and the lock housing is fixed to the base (such as the vehicle body). In applications, the opposite way can also be adopted, that is, the lock housing is fastened to the flap element (such as the rear lid of a vehicle), and the lock catch is fixed to the base (such as the vehicle body).

[0012] According to an embodiment, the first lever arm is connected to the manual operating element.

[0013] In a further design, the first lever arm is connected to the motor drive device. In this way, the closing mechanism can be remotely controlled. Such a drive device engaging with the first lever arm can provide a closing assistance function for transferring the lock assembly to the closed position. In different embodiments, the motor drive device can be designed as an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic type.

[0014] The present invention proposes that the drive device is a linear drive device (such as a spindle drive device).

[0015] In an alternative embodiment, the drive device is a rotary actuator, which engages with the rotational support point of the first lever arm on the lock housing.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment, the drive device has a detection device for identifying the end position and / or the movement state of the drive device. Description of the Drawings

[0017] The embodiments of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Among them:

[0018] Figure 1 Side view of an embodiment of the lock assembly of the present invention in the open position

[0019] Figure 2 is Figure 1 Side view of the shown lock assembly in the intermediate position

[0020] Figure 3 is Figure 1 Side view of the shown lock assembly in the closed position

[0021] Figure 4 Detail view of the oblong hole of the rotary latch in the lock assembly in the open position

[0022] Figure 5 Detailed view of the guiding slide of the rotary latch when an embodiment of the lock assembly is in the open position Detailed implementation mode

[0023] Figure 1 A side view showing an embodiment of the lock assembly 1 of the present invention. The lock assembly 1 includes a locking mechanism 2 and a lock catch 3. The locking mechanism 2 has a rotary latch 4 and a locking member for locking the rotary latch 4 to fix the lock catch 3. The rotary latch 4 is hinged to the lock housing 5 of the lock assembly 1. The locking member is designed as a toggle device, which is pre-tightened by a spring element 6 at its dead center. One end of the first lever arm 7 of the toggle device is hinged to the lock housing 5 through a first rotary joint 8, and on the other hand, is connected to the second lever arm 10 of the toggle device through a second rotary joint 9. The second lever arm 10 is further connected to the rotary latch 4 through a third rotary joint 11. The third rotary joint is located in the oblong hole 12 of the rotary latch 4 and can move in the oblong hole. In the illustrated embodiment, the spring element 6 is designed as a tension spring, one end of which is fixed to the lock housing, and the other end is fixed to the first lever arm 7. However, the present invention is not limited to such a spring element 6. Spring elements 6 with different designs can also be used.

[0024] The lock catch 3 abuts against the rotary latch 4 and is not surrounded by the groove 13 of the rotary latch 4, which indicates that the lock assembly 1 is in the open position. In this open position, the lock catch 3 can be guided away from the rotary latch 4 (it can move upward in Figure 1 ). The toggle device is in the first end position, in which a part of the rotary latch 4 abuts against a part of the first lever arm 7. The spring element 6 holds the toggle device in the first end position, thereby holding the rotary latch 4 in the open position.

[0025] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1Side view of the lock assembly 1 when in the intermediate position. During the transfer to the intermediate position, the latch 3 and the rotary latch 4 move relative to each other (compared with Figure 1 In Figure 2 , the latch 3 moves downward and the lock housing 5 moves upward). During this process, the latch 3 causes the rotary latch 4 mounted on the lock housing 5 to rotate, and the latch 3 is introduced into the groove 13 of the rotary latch 4. In this intermediate position, the latch 3 is at least partially surrounded by the groove 13 of the rotary latch. The stop 14 of the first lever arm 7 abuts against the mating stop 15 of the rotary latch 4. In the intermediate position of the lock assembly 1, the toggle mechanism has moved past its dead center from the first end position. The dead center of the toggle mechanism is reached when the rotary joints 8, 9, and 11 are in a straight line. When passing the dead center of the toggle mechanism, the position of the stop 14 on the mating stop 15 is fixed, thereby inhibiting the rotation of the rotary latch 4. Therefore, according to Figure 2 , the rotary latch cannot perform a clockwise rotational movement (therefore, the latch 3 cannot move upward either).

[0026] In addition, a cam mechanism formed between a portion 16 of the rotary latch 4 and a portion 17 of the first lever arm 7 engages in the intermediate position.

[0027] Figure 3 Shown Figure 1 Side view of the lock assembly 1 when in the closed position. In the closed position of the lock assembly 1, the latch 3 is still at least partially surrounded by the groove 13 of the rotary latch 4. During the transfer from the intermediate position to the closed position, the third rotary joint 11 is driven by a spring element 6 acting on the toggle mechanism and is guided to move in the oblong hole 12 of the rotary latch 4 through a cam mechanism. During this process, the upper edge 18 of the groove 13 of the rotary latch 4 is guided towards the latch 3 until the latch 3 contacts the lower edge 19 of the lock housing 5 and is held in this position under the elastic force of the spring element 6. This clearance compensation between the latch 3 and the rotary latch 4 can suppress the rattling noise generated when the latch 3 and the upper edge 18 (or the lower edge 19) of the groove collide with each other, for example, when the lock assembly 1 vibrates.

[0028] In the closed position, the toggle mechanism is in the second end position. In this position, the clockwise rotation of the rotary latch 4 is still inhibited. Therefore, according to Figure 3 , the latch 3 cannot move upward.

[0029] In the illustrated embodiment, the first lever arm is connected to a manually operated element 20 designed as a Bowden cable. For this purpose, the first lever arm 7 is lengthened on the side away from the second rotary joint 9, and the operating element 20 is connected there. By pulling the Bowden cable, the lock assembly 1 can be unlocked, where the lock assembly 1 returns from the closed position through the intermediate position to the open position, so that the latch is released by the rotary latch 4 again.

[0030] In an embodiment not shown, the first lever arm 7 is connected to a motor drive (e.g., electric, pneumatic or hydraulic). Such a motor drive can be designed, for example, as a linear drive. It can also be a rotary actuator that engages with a first rotary joint 8 on the first lever arm 7. On the one hand, the motor drive can be used for unlocking. On the other hand, the motor drive can also be used as a closing aid for transferring the lock assembly 1 from an intermediate position to a closed position.

[0031] In other embodiments, the motor drive has detection means for identifying the end positions and / or the movement state of the drive.

[0032] Figure 4 A detailed view of the oblong hole 12 of the rotary latch in an open position in an embodiment of the lock assembly is shown. The third joint 11 is shown in a simplified form for better viewing of the oblong hole.

[0033] As Figure 5 shown, in another embodiment of the lock assembly, the third rotary joint 11 is arranged in the control member 21 of the rotary latch 4, rather than in the oblong hole 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the control member 21 is designed as an arcuate groove on the rotary latch.

[0034] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0035] 1 Lock assembly

[0036] 2 Locking mechanism

[0037] 3 Lock catch

[0038] 4 Rotary latch

[0039] 5 Lock housing

[0040] 6 Spring element

[0041] 7 First lever arm

[0042] 8 First rotary joint

[0043] 9 Second rotary joint

[0044] 10 Second lever arm

[0045] 11 Third rotary joint

[0046] 12 Oblong hole

[0047] 13 Groove

[0048] 14 Stop

[0049] 15 mating stop

[0050] A part of the 16 - rotation latch

[0051] A part of the 17 - first lever arm

[0052] 18 - upper edge

[0053] 19 - lower edge

[0054] 20 - actuating element

[0055] 21 - control part.

Claims

1. A lock assembly (1) includes a locking mechanism (2), which consists of a rotary latch (4) and a locking member for locking the latch (3) of the lock assembly (1). The rotary latch (4) is hinged to a lock housing (5). The locking member has a toggle device, and the toggle device is pre-tensioned by a spring element (6) at its dead center. In the closed position of the lock assembly (1), the latch (3) is at least partially surrounded by a groove (13) of the rotary latch (4). In the open position, the latch (3) abuts against the rotary latch (4) but is not surrounded by the groove (13) of the rotary latch (4). A first lever arm (7) of the toggle device is hinged to the lock housing (5) through a first rotary joint (8) on one hand and connected to a second lever arm (10) of the toggle device through a second rotary joint (9) on the other hand. The second lever arm (10) is connected to the rotary latch (4) through a third rotary joint (11). Characterized in that, the third rotary joint (11) is movable in an oblong hole (12) or a control member (21) of the rotary latch (4). The lock assembly (1) has an intermediate position between the open position and the closed position. In the intermediate position, the latch (3) has been at least partially surrounded by the groove (13) of the rotary latch (4). A stop (14) of the first lever arm (7) abuts against a mating stop (15) of the rotary latch (4), and a cam mechanism engagement is formed between a part (16) of the rotary latch (4) and a part (17) of the first lever arm (7). During the transfer from the intermediate position to the closed position, the third rotary joint (11) is driven by the spring element (6) acting on the toggle device and guided by the cam mechanism to move in the oblong hole (12) or the control member (21) of the rotary latch (4).

2. The lock assembly (1) according to claim 1, Characterized in that, the first lever arm (7) is connected to a manual operating element (20).

3. The lock assembly (1) according to claim 1, Characterized in that, the first lever arm (7) is connected to a motor drive device.

4. The lock assembly (1) according to claim 3, Characterized in that, the drive device is a linear drive device.

5. The lock assembly (1) according to claim 3, Characterized in that, the drive device is a rotary actuator, and the rotary actuator engages with the first rotary joint (8) on the first lever arm (7).

6. The lock assembly (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, Characterized in that, the motor drive device operates in an electric, pneumatic or hydraulic manner.

7. The lock assembly (1) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, Characterized in that, the motor drive device has a detection device for identifying the end positions and / or motion states of the drive device.

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