Motor vehicle lock

Abstract

A motor vehicle lock is provided that includes a locking mechanism, an electric drive, a lifting lever, a control assembly, and an external release lever. The locking mechanism comprises a rotating lock fork and a locking claw; the electric driving device comprises a motor and an output element, an actuating part is arranged on the output element, and the actuating part can rotate along with the output element under the driving of the motor; the lifting rod is connected with the locking claw; the control assembly is suitable for being connected with the actuating part; the external release rod is connected with the control assembly; rotation of the motor in the first direction drives the actuating part to actuate the control assembly, so that the external release rod is connected with or disconnected from the lifting rod, and the external release rod is enabled or disabled correspondingly. And rotation of the motor in a second direction opposite to the first direction actuates unlocking of the locking claw. The number of parts in the motor vehicle lock can be reduced, the structural complexity and the manufacturing cost of the lock are reduced, the structural reliability is improved, and the service life of the parts and the motor vehicle lock is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular to a motor vehicle lock which enables or disables an external release lever through an electric drive device so that the external release lever can be used to unlock the vehicle in an emergency situation. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the automotive industry, the price-performance competition in the automotive market has become increasingly fierce, and users' requirements for the intelligence and quality of vehicle operation have also become higher and higher. As an indispensable and important component of an automobile, the requirements for the intelligence and safety performance of a motor vehicle lock have also gradually increased. In order to meet users' requirements such as the need for safety, motor vehicle locks have more and more functions, for example, electric unlocking, anti-theft safety function, child lock function, etc.

[0003] In practice, there is a need for a motor vehicle lock with such a function that can not only achieve the electric unlocking function, but also selectively enable or disable the outer door handle to open the door (that is, enable the outer door handle) or not function (that is, disable the outer door handle) so that the outer door handle can be used to open the door in a required situation, such as in an emergency situation.

[0004] In the prior art, motor vehicle locks for realizing this function mostly adopt very complex structures, for example, two motors are used, which increases the technical complexity and also raises the cost. Moreover, how to reduce the number of parts and the structural complexity of the motor vehicle lock, as well as the economic cost, improve the structural reliability and the service life of the motor vehicle lock, etc., have always been problems to be solved in this field. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to solve at least one of the above problems and defects existing in the prior art and other technical problems.

[0006] According to one aspect of the utility model, an exemplary motor vehicle lock is provided. The motor vehicle lock includes a locking mechanism, an electric drive device, a lifting lever, a control component and an external release lever. The locking mechanism includes a rotating lock fork and a locking claw; the electric drive device includes a motor and an output element, and an actuating part is arranged on the output element, and the actuating part can rotate with the output element under the drive of the motor; the lifting lever is connected with the locking claw; the control component is adapted to be connected with the actuating part; the external release lever is connected with the control component; wherein the rotation of the motor in a first direction drives the actuating part to actuate the control component, so that the external release lever is connected with or disengaged from the lifting lever, so as to enable or disable the external release lever accordingly; and the rotation of the motor in a second direction opposite to the first direction actuates the unlocking of the locking claw.

[0007] In this solution, when the action of the external release lever connected to the control assembly can be transmitted to the lifting lever and then to the locking claw through the control assembly, the external release lever can function, that is, "enabling the external release lever" as described in the text. In this case, when the external release lever is pulled, it actuates the control assembly and then actuates the locking claw to disengage it from the engagement with the rotating lock fork to achieve manual unlocking. When the action of the external release lever cannot be transmitted to the locking claw via the control assembly, the external release lever cannot function, that is, "disabling the external release lever" as described in the text. In this case, when the external release lever is pulled, its action cannot actuate the locking claw and manual unlocking cannot be achieved.

[0008] It should also be noted that the "connection" in this article refers to various ways of associating different elements to make them linked, including direct contact, abutment or connection between two elements, and indirect association between two elements through one or more intermediate components.

[0009] In this exemplary scheme of the utility model, the motor vehicle lock is electrically unlocked and the external release rod is enabled or disabled in two opposite directions by the same motor, and the connection between the external release rod and the lifting rod is achieved by setting a control component. Compared with the method of using different motors to achieve the above operations, the number of components inside the lock is reduced, the structural complexity and manufacturing cost of the lock are reduced, and it is beneficial to reduce the volume of the motor vehicle lock and the space it occupies.

[0010] According to one example, the control assembly includes a locking rod suitable for being actuated by the actuating portion and a clutch rod suitable for being connected to the locking rod, wherein in a first position of the locking rod, the locking rod presses against the clutch rod, the clutch rod is disengaged from the lifting rod, and the external release rod is invalidated; when the locking rod is actuated to a second position by the actuating portion, the clutch rod is released to be connected to the lifting rod, and the external release rod is enabled.

[0011] According to one example, the motor vehicle lock also includes a connecting rod, a first elastic member and a second elastic member, the first end of the connecting rod is connected to the external release rod, the second end of the connecting rod is connected to the clutch rod so as to be relatively rotatable, the first elastic member is configured to reset the connecting rod, and the two legs of the second elastic member are respectively arranged on the connecting rod and the clutch rod.

[0012] According to an example, the other end of the connecting rod is provided with a hole, and the first end of the clutch rod is provided with a shaft portion and is inserted into the hole via the shaft portion so as to be relatively rotatably connected to the connecting rod.

[0013] According to one example, a engaging portion is provided at a second end of the clutch lever, and a mating portion adapted to engage with the engaging portion is provided on a side of the lifting lever facing the clutch lever. Wherein, when the clutch lever is in a released state, rotation of the external release lever can drive the clutch lever via the connecting rod, so that the engaging portion actuates the mating portion.

[0014] According to one example, the control assembly includes a third elastic member connected to the locking lever, and the third elastic member biases the locking lever towards the first position.

[0015] According to one example, the output element includes a wheel-shaped member coupled to the motor, the actuating portion is disposed on a first side of the wheel-shaped member, the vehicle lock further includes a cam disposed on a second side of the wheel-shaped member and a release member rotatably disposed on one side of the cam. When the cam rotates under the drive of the motor, the release member is actuated, and the release member actuates the lifting lever to release the locking claw.

[0016] According to one example, when the wheel-shaped member rotates in a first direction, the actuating portion actuates the control assembly, and when the wheel-shaped member rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the cam actuates the release member.

[0017] According to one example, a buffer member is disposed on the wheel-shaped member, and the vehicle lock further includes a stop member, and the stop member cooperates with the buffer member to serve as an end point of the travel when the wheel-shaped member rotates.

[0018] According to one example, the vehicle lock further includes an internal release lever disposed on one side of the lifting lever, and rotation of the internal release lever actuates the lifting lever to release the locking claw.

[0019] According to one example, the vehicle lock further includes a first housing provided with a first through hole and a first pivot shaft. The first pivot shaft passes through the external release lever, and a portion of the first pivot shaft extending into the first housing through the first through hole passes through the connecting rod.

[0020] According to one example, the vehicle lock further includes an intermediate housing provided with a second through hole and a second pivot shaft coaxially coupled to the first pivot shaft. The second pivot shaft passes through the lifting lever, and a portion of the second pivot shaft extending out of the intermediate housing through the second through hole passes through the locking claw. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings via exemplary embodiments.

[0022] Figure 1 A perspective view of a vehicle lock showing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with the second housing removed.

[0023] Figure 2 Schematic perspective view showing the internal components of a motor vehicle lock separated from a first housing, an intermediate housing, and a second housing.

[0024] Figure 3 Exploded schematic view showing the internal components of a motor vehicle lock.

[0025] Figure 4 Showing Figure 2 Schematic perspective view of the internal components shown from one perspective.

[0026] Figure 5 Schematic view showing the buffer members on the stopper and the wheel-shaped member of a motor vehicle lock.

[0027] Figure 6 Showing Figure 2 Schematic perspective view of the internal components shown from another angle.

[0028] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0029] 10, locking mechanism; 11, rotating locking fork; 12, locking claw; 20, electric drive device; 21, motor; 22, output element; 221, worm; 222, wheel-shaped member; 23, actuating part; 24, buffer member; 30, lifting rod; 31, mating part; 32, first connection end; 33, second connection end; 40, control assembly; 41, locking rod; 42, clutch rod; 421, shaft part; 422, engaging part; 43, connecting rod; 431, through hole of connecting rod; 44, first elastic member; 45, second elastic member; 46, third elastic member; 50, external release rod; 60, cam; 70, release member; 80, stopper; 90, internal release rod; 100, first housing; 101, first through hole; 110, first pivot shaft; 120, intermediate housing; 121, second through hole; 130, second pivot shaft; 140, second housing.

[0030] It should be noted that the drawings are only schematic. They only show those parts necessary for clarifying the present invention, while other parts may be omitted or only briefly mentioned. In addition to the components shown in the drawings, the present invention may also include other components. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0031] The technical solution of the present invention will be further specifically described below through embodiments in combination with the drawings. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings is intended to explain the overall concept of the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0032] In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It is evident, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

[0033] The following describes a specific embodiment of a motor vehicle lock in conjunction with the appended Figures 1-6 drawings. It should be noted that the motor vehicle lock herein is preferably a motor vehicle door lock, and in a specific embodiment, the door lock of the rear side door of the motor vehicle is taken as an example for illustration. However, within the scope of the present invention, the motor vehicle lock may also be other motor vehicle locks, such as a motor vehicle hood lock, a motor vehicle trunk lid lock, etc. Therefore, the term motor vehicle lock can be interpreted broadly.

[0034] Figure 1 and Figure 2 FIG. shows a motor vehicle lock, which may include a locking mechanism 10, an electric drive device 20, a lifting lever 30, a control assembly 40, and an external release lever 50. The locking mechanism 10 may include a rotating lock fork 11 and a locking pawl 12. When the locking pawl 12 engages with the rotating lock fork 11, the lock fork 11 clamps a lock bolt (not shown in the figure), and the motor vehicle lock is in the locked position. When the locking pawl 12 disengages from the rotating lock fork 11, the rotating lock fork 11 releases the lock bolt to achieve unlocking. The electric drive device 2 includes a motor 21, a worm, and an output element 22 in the form of a worm gear. It should be noted that although the transmission and output modes of the worm 221 of the motor 21 and the worm gear are shown in the drawings, other forms, such as an output element in the form of the engagement of two gears, are also feasible. The motor 21 can rotate in opposite first and second directions, thereby driving the output element 22 to rotate in two opposite directions. Hereinafter, the part of the output element 22 formed in the form of a worm gear or a gear will be referred to as a wheel-shaped member 222.

[0035] Figure 3 FIG. shows an exploded view of the internal components of the motor vehicle lock, Figure 5 FIG. shows a more specific electric drive device 20. As Figure 3 and Figure 5 shown, the output element 22 may include a wheel-shaped member 222 connected to the motor 21. The wheel-shaped member 222 includes a first side and a second side that are opposite to each other along its axial direction. An actuating portion 23 is provided on the first side of the wheel-shaped member 22, so that the actuating portion 23 can rotate together with the wheel-shaped member 222 of the output element 22 under the drive of the motor 21.

[0036] The lifting lever 30 is connected to the locking pawl 12. From Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6It can be seen that the lifting rod 30 has opposite first and second connection ends 32 and 33. Its first connection end 32 has an insertion hole, and the second connection end 33 is provided with a mating portion 31 (such as a protrusion or a groove structure, etc.) that engages with the clutch rod 42. The locking claw 12 also has opposite first and second ends. The first end is used to engage with the rotating lock fork 11, and the second end is provided with a bent structure extending along its axial direction and can be inserted into the insertion hole of the lifting rod 30, so that the lifting rod 30 can drive the locking claw 12 to rotate synchronously when rotating.

[0037] As Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the control assembly 40 may include a locking rod 41, a clutch rod 42, a connecting rod 43, a first elastic member 44, a second elastic member 45, and a third elastic member 46. Combining Figure 5 shown, the locking rod 41 is disposed on one side of the wheel-shaped member 222 and is disposed at a position adapted to be actuated by the actuating portion 23, and a part of it extends into a corresponding position inside the wheel-shaped member 222.

[0038] The clutch rod 42 includes oppositely arranged first and second ends. Its first end is provided with a shaft portion 421 extending out from one side along the axial direction, and its second end is provided with an engaging portion 422 extending out from the other side along the axial direction and capable of engaging with the mating portion 31 of the lifting rod 30, as Figure 4 shown.

[0039] The connecting rod 43 is configured as a substantially columnar structure and can rotate about the axis of the columnar structure, and one end extends radially outward from the columnar structure. Thus, this columnar structure can be called the first end of the connecting rod 43, and the extending end can be called the second end of the connecting rod 43.

[0040] The first end of the connecting rod 43 is coaxially connected to one end of the external release rod 50, for example, through a key structure, so that the connecting rod 43 rotates synchronously under the drive of the external release rod 50. The second end of the connecting rod 43 is provided with a hole 431 for inserting the shaft portion 421 of the clutch rod 42.

[0041] The first elastic member 44, the second elastic member 45, and the third elastic member 46 can all adopt a resetable elastic element such as a torsion spring. Taking the torsion spring as an example, the elastic members 44, 45, and 46 can all include a spiral main body portion and two legs. The spiral main body portion of the first elastic member 44 is sleeved on the first end of the connecting rod 43, and one of its legs is arranged on the connecting rod 43, and the other leg is arranged on, for example, the first housing 100 or the intermediate housing 120. Thus, after the external release rod 50 drives the connecting rod 43 to rotate, the first elastic member 44 resets the connecting rod 43 and the external release rod 50. The spiral main body portion of the second elastic member 45 is sleeved on the shaft portion 421 of the clutch rod 42, and its two legs are respectively arranged on the connecting rod 43 and the clutch rod 42. Thus, after the external release rod 50 drives the connecting rod 43 to rotate, the second elastic member 45 resets the clutch rod 42. The third elastic member 46 biases the locking rod 41 towards its first position. This first position is the position of the locking rod 41 in the normal state, that is, when the external release rod 50 is ineffective. At this first position, the locking rod 41 presses against the clutch rod 42, so that the engaging portion 422 of the clutch rod 42 cannot contact (i.e., disconnect) the mating portion 31 of the lifting rod 30. At this time, when the external release rod 50 is actuated, it drives the connecting rod 43, but the movement of the clutch rod 42 cannot be transmitted to the lifting rod 30 through the mating portion 31. Therefore, the operation of the external release rod 50 has no effect (i.e., is ineffective). When the locking rod 41 is actuated by the actuating portion 23 to the second position, it moves away from the clutch rod 42 and disengages from the clutch rod 42 to release the clutch rod 42. Under the reset action of the second elastic member 45, the engaging portion 422 of the clutch rod 42 engages the mating portion 31 of the lifting rod 30. At this time, when the external release rod 50 is actuated, it drives the connecting rod 43 and the clutch rod 42, so that the engaging portion 422 of the clutch rod 42 can actuate the mating portion 31 of the lifting rod 30 during rotation, and then unlock by actuating the locking claw 12 through the lifting rod 30. Thus, the external release rod 50 takes effect (is enabled).

[0042] Optionally, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 6 as shown, the vehicle lock may further include a cam 60 provided on the second side of the wheel member 222 and a release member 70 rotatably provided on one side of the cam 60. The release member 70 is rotatable and includes a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is adapted to abut against the cam 60, and the second end is adapted to act on the second connection end 33 of the lifting rod 30. When the wheel member 222 is in the initial position, the first end of the release member 70 abuts against one end of the curved surface of the cam 60. When the motor 21 rotates in the second direction ( Figure 2 the counterclockwise direction shown in Figure 6When rotating in the clockwise direction (as shown), the first end of the release member 70 of the motor vehicle lock is actuated, so that the release member 70 slides along the curved surface of the cam 60 and is lifted. The second end of it can actuate the second connection end 33 of the lifting rod 30, and then the locking claw 12 is disengaged from the rotating lock fork 11 to achieve electric unlocking. Correspondingly, when the cam 60 rotates along with the wheel-shaped member 222 in the first direction ( Figure 2 the clockwise direction as shown or Figure 6 the counterclockwise direction as shown), the cam 60 does not lift the release member 70 to actuate the release member 70, but the actuating portion 23 provided on the first side of the wheel-shaped member 222 can actuate the locking rod 41 of the control assembly 40.

[0043] As Figure 2 , 3 and shown in FIG. 6, the motor vehicle lock may further include an internal release rod 90 provided on one side of the lifting rod 30. The rotation of the internal release rod 90 can actuate the lifting rod 30 to release the locking claw 12 to achieve unlocking. The internal release rod 90 can be connected to the internal handle of the vehicle, for example.

[0044] Exemplarily, a buffer member 24 extending substantially along its circumferential direction is further provided on the first side of the wheel-shaped member 222. The motor vehicle lock further includes a stop member 80, as shown in Figure 5 . The stop member 80 may include a first surface and a second surface. Among them, the first surface of the stop member 80 can be engaged with a circumferential end of the buffer member 24 to serve as the end point of the rotation stroke of the wheel-shaped member 222 in the Figure 5 counterclockwise direction as shown, and the second surface of the stop member 80 is engaged with the other circumferential end of the buffer member 24 to serve as the end point of the rotation stroke of the wheel-shaped member 222 in the clockwise direction. It should be noted that in Figure 5 , for the simplicity of the figure, only the stop member 80 is shown and the mounting components of the stop member 80 are not shown. In actual application, the stop member 80 can be integrally formed on the first housing 100.

[0045] Optionally, the motor vehicle lock may further include as Figure 1 and Figure 2The first housing 100, the first pivot shaft 110, the intermediate housing 120, the second pivot shaft 130, and the second housing 140 shown. The first housing 100 is connected to the intermediate housing 120 to form a first cavity for accommodating internal components such as the control assembly 40. The second housing 140 is connected to the side of the intermediate housing 120 facing away from the first housing 100, thereby forming a second cavity for accommodating the rotating locking fork 11 and the locking claw 12. A first through hole 101 is provided in the first housing 100 at a position corresponding to internal components such as the control assembly 40. The connecting rod 41 is provided in the first cavity as part of the control assembly 40, and the external release lever 50 is provided on the side of the first housing 100 facing away from the intermediate housing 120. The first pivot shaft 110 passes through the external release lever 50 and the first through hole 101 from the side of the first housing 100 facing away from the intermediate housing 120 and then is inserted into the axial hole at the first end of the connecting rod 43.

[0046] Continuing to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a second through hole 121 is provided in the intermediate housing 120 at a position corresponding to internal components such as the control assembly 40. The second pivot shaft 130 passes through the second through hole 121 so that a part of it is provided in the first cavity and another part is provided in the second cavity. Thus, the part of the second pivot shaft 130 provided in the first cavity passes through the lifting lever 30 and then is inserted into the axial hole at the first end of the connecting rod 43, and it is coaxially arranged with the first pivot shaft 110. The part of the second pivot shaft 130 provided in the second cavity passes through the locking claw 12.

[0047] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general concept of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle lock, characterized in that: include: A locking mechanism (10), the locking mechanism (10) comprising a rotating locking fork (11) and a locking claw (12); An electric drive device (20), the electric drive device (20) comprising a motor (21) and an output element (22), the output element (22) being provided with an actuating portion (23), the actuating portion (23) being capable of rotating along with the output element (22) when driven by the motor (21); a lifting rod (30) connected to the locking claw (12); a control assembly (40), the control assembly (40) being adapted to be coupled to the actuating portion (23); as well as an external release lever (50) coupled to the control assembly (40); The rotation of the motor (21) in a first direction drives the actuating portion (23) to actuate the control assembly (40) so that the external release rod (50) is connected to or disconnected from the lifting rod (30) to enable or disable the external release rod (50) accordingly; and the rotation of the motor (21) in a second direction opposite to the first direction unlocks the locking claw (12).

2. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control assembly (40) includes a locking rod (41) adapted to be actuated by the actuating portion (23) and a clutch rod (42) adapted to be connected to the locking rod (41), wherein when the locking rod (41) is in a first position, the locking rod (41) presses against the clutch rod (42), the clutch rod (42) is disconnected from the lifting rod (30), and the external release rod (50) is disabled; when the locking rod (41) is actuated to a second position by the actuating portion (23), the clutch rod (42) is released to be connected to the lifting rod (30), and the external release rod (50) is enabled.

3. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 2, characterized in that: The motor vehicle lock further comprises a connecting rod (43), a first elastic member (44) and a second elastic member (45); the first end of the connecting rod (43) is connected to the external release rod (50); the second end of the connecting rod (43) is connected to the clutch rod (42) so as to be relatively rotatable; the first elastic member (44) is configured to reset the connecting rod (43); and two legs of the second elastic member (45) are respectively arranged on the connecting rod (43) and the clutch rod (42).

4. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second end of the connecting rod (43) is provided with a hole (431), and the first end of the clutch rod (42) is provided with a shaft portion (421) inserted into the hole (431) so that the clutch rod (42) can be relatively rotatably connected to the connecting rod (43).

5. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second end of the clutch rod (42) is provided with an engagement portion (422), and the side of the lifting rod (30) facing the clutch rod (42) is provided with a matching portion (31) suitable for engaging with the engagement portion (422), wherein when the clutch rod (42) is in a state of being released by the locking rod (41), the rotation of the external release rod (50) can drive the clutch rod (42) via the connecting rod (43), so that the engagement portion (422) actuates the matching portion (31).

6. The motor vehicle lock according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The control assembly (40) comprises a third elastic member (46) connected to the locking rod (41), and the third elastic member (46) biases the locking rod (41) toward the first position.

7. The motor vehicle lock according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The output element (22) includes a wheel-shaped member (222) connected to the motor (21), the actuating portion (23) is arranged on a first side of the wheel-shaped member (222), and the motor vehicle lock also includes a cam (60) and a rotatably arranged release member (70) arranged on a second side of the wheel-shaped member (222), the cam (60) actuates the release member (70) when rotating under the drive of the motor (21), and the release member (70) actuates the lifting rod (30) to release the locking claw (12).

8. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the wheel-shaped member (222) rotates in a first direction, the actuating portion (23) actuates the control assembly (40); when the wheel-shaped member (222) rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the cam (60) actuates the release member (70).

9. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 8, characterized in that: A buffer member (24) is arranged on the wheel-shaped member (222), and the motor vehicle lock further comprises a stop member (80), wherein the stop member (80) cooperates with the buffer member (24) to serve as a travel end point when the wheel-shaped member (222) rotates.

10. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motor vehicle lock also includes an internal release lever (90) disposed adjacent to the lifting lever (30), wherein rotation of the internal release lever (90) actuates the lifting lever (30) to release the locking claw (12).

11. The motor vehicle lock according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The motor vehicle lock further comprises a first housing (100) provided with a first through hole (101) and a first pivot shaft (110), wherein the first pivot shaft (110) passes through the external release rod (50) and the portion thereof extending into the first housing (100) via the first through hole (101) passes through the connecting rod (43).

12. The motor vehicle lock according to claim 11, characterized in that: The motor vehicle lock further comprises an intermediate housing (120) provided with a second through hole (121) and a second pivot shaft (130) coaxially arranged with the first pivot shaft (110), wherein the second pivot shaft (130) passes through the lifting rod (30) and a portion thereof extending out of the intermediate housing (120) via the second through hole (121) passes through the locking claw (12).

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