Motor vehicle and method for operating a door lock of a motor vehicle

Abstract

Motor vehicle, with at least one door, a door contact sensor and a door lock which can be locked or unlocked by means of a door control unit, characterized in that the door control unit is designed such that, upon a signal supplied by the door contact sensor indicating a closing process of the door, the door lock is immediately locked, so that a locking noise is masked by a closing noise of the door, wherein the motor vehicle has an optical indicator for the locking state, wherein the door control unit is designed such that the optical indicator is switched on to indicate a locked door when a specified vehicle speed is reached.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle with at least one door, a door contact sensor and a door lock which can be locked or unlocked by means of a door control unit.

[0002] The locking of motor vehicle doors while driving can be achieved by a so-called autolock function, which automatically locks the doors at a certain driving speed, when a gear is engaged, when braking, or when the ignition is switched on. Alternatively, doors can be locked by a manual locking device, such as a button in the interior or a door handle, to prevent unwanted opening from the outside. Such a motor vehicle is known from DE 10 2004 008 507 A1.

[0003] From EP 1 669 520 A1, a motor vehicle with an automatic door lock is known, which can be controlled by means of a transponder. By detecting a transponder carried by a user, it can be recognized that an authorized user is in the vicinity of the motor vehicle. When the user touches the door handle or activates a button or switch, a door lock is unlocked.

[0004] An electric or electromechanical lock is often configured to lock automatically when a certain speed is reached. This lock is only released when the ignition is switched off or a vehicle door is opened. However, this automatic locking while driving produces a locking noise that some users find unpleasant. The same applies to the automatic unlocking, which is also audible.

[0005] EP 1 371 802 A2 describes a motor vehicle door lock with an electromechanical central locking drive consisting of a central locking element driven by a drive motor. The electric drive motor is activated to lock the central locking element upon receipt of an actuation signal, such as from a lock cylinder, a locking button, a remote control receiver, or a handle (exterior door handle, interior door handle), or upon reaching a specific operating state, such as reaching a certain vehicle speed or a state in which the airbag sensors have detected occupants in all seats of the vehicle.

[0006] DE 20 2010 006 995 U1 describes a door locking system for a motor vehicle which has a warning device designed to generate a warning signal as a result of the detection of a malfunction of the vehicle locking system.

[0007] DE 33 47 024 A1 and DE 10 2008 046 931 A1 concern further locking devices for motor vehicles.

[0008] DE 42 19 210 A1 discloses a central door locking system for a motor vehicle. To easily lock a single door in a centrally locked vehicle, a device is provided which, when the central locking system is engaged, automatically returns the door lock to the locked position after opening and re-closing. This avoids the usual process of unlocking all locks by deactivating the central locking system and then re-locking all locks by reactivating the central locking system. All other locks can remain in the locked position, and no security risk arises.

[0009] The invention is therefore based on the objective of providing a motor vehicle that can be locked automatically without producing a disturbing noise.

[0010] To solve this problem, the features of claim 1 are provided according to the invention for a motor vehicle of the type mentioned at the outset.

[0011] The door control unit is designed so that when a signal indicating a closing process of the door is supplied by the door contact sensor, the door lock is immediately engaged, so that a locking noise is masked by a closing noise of the door.

[0012] The invention is based on the insight that an unpleasant locking noise can be "hidden" behind the closing sound of the door by triggering a locking process immediately after the door closes. Because the locking occurs virtually simultaneously with the closing of the door, it is not audibly noticeable and thus becomes inaudible to the driver. Unlike in the prior art, the locking does not occur only upon reaching a certain speed; instead, the door locks directly after the closing process, which is detected by the door contact sensor.

[0013] The motor vehicle according to the invention further provides for an optical indicator for the locking status. Preferably, the indicator is designed as a lamp or light-emitting diode, so that the user can read the current locking status from the indicator. For example, an illuminated indicator can show that the door is locked.

[0014] In the motor vehicle according to the invention, the door control unit is designed such that the optical indicator is activated to show a locked door when a predetermined vehicle speed is reached. In this way, the user notices no difference compared to previously used door control units, where the locking mechanism is automatically triggered when a certain vehicle speed is reached. According to the invention, locking occurs immediately after a door is closed, but this locking is only indicated after a certain delay, once a predetermined vehicle speed has been reached.

[0015] In addition, the invention relates to a method for operating a door lock of a motor vehicle, comprising a door and a door contact sensor, wherein the door lock can be locked or unlocked by means of a door control unit.

[0016] The method according to the invention is characterized in that, after receiving a signal from the door contact sensor indicating a closing process of the door, the door control unit immediately locks the door lock, so that a locking noise is covered by a closing noise of the door, wherein an optical indicator means is switched on by the door control unit to indicate the locking state when a specified vehicle speed is reached.

[0017] The invention is explained below using an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing. The drawing schematically shows the status of the door contact, the door lock, and an indicator device over a time axis.

[0018] At the start of the door lock operation, the vehicle door is open, meaning the door contact is in the "open" state. When the door is closed by a user, the door contact's state changes to "closed." The door's locking status is detected by a door contact sensor. This sensor is connected to a door control unit, which is designed to lock or unlock the door.

[0019] Once the door control unit receives the "closed" signal from the door contact sensor, the door lock engages immediately. The diagram illustrates that the change in the door lock's state occurs simultaneously with the change in the door contact sensor's state; that is, the door lock engages instantly. Since both processes occur virtually simultaneously and are indistinguishable to the user, the locking sound of the door lock is audibly masked by the sound of the door closing. The user therefore only perceives a normal closing sound, not a delayed locking sound from the door lock.

[0020] The upper part of the drawing shows the state of an indicator. In the illustrated embodiment, the indicator is a light-emitting diode (LED). When the LED is off, it indicates an unlocked state; when the LED is on, it indicates a locked state. At the beginning of the process, with the door open, the indicator is off. After the door is closed, which is detected by the door contact sensor, the indicator remains off. Only at a later time, when the vehicle has reached a predetermined speed, is the indicator switched on. In the illustrated embodiment, the indicator switches on at a vehicle speed of 15 km / h.

[0021] This method of operating a motor vehicle door lock allows the locking mechanism to engage silently for the user, as the lock engages automatically as soon as the door is closed. The two processes occur so rapidly in succession that they are indistinguishable. Because the sound of the door closing is louder than the sound of the lock engaging, the locking process is completely imperceptible to the user.

Claims

[1] Motor vehicle, with at least one door, a door contact sensor and a door lock which can be locked or unlocked by means of a door control unit, characterized by that the door control unit is designed such that when a signal indicating a closing operation of the door is supplied by the door contact sensor, the door lock is immediately locked so that a locking noise is masked by a closing noise of the door, wherein the motor vehicle has an optical display means for the locking state, wherein the door control unit is designed such that the optical display means is switched on when a predetermined vehicle speed is reached to indicate a locked door. [2] Method for operating a door lock of a motor vehicle, comprising a door and a door contact sensor, wherein the door lock can be locked or unlocked by means of a door control device, characterized bythat the door control unit, upon receipt of a signal supplied by the door contact sensor indicating a closing operation of the door, immediately locks the door lock so that a locking noise is masked by a closing noise of the door, wherein upon reaching a predetermined vehicle speed, an optical display means for indicating the locking state is switched on by the door control unit.