Double-stroke locking system with quick release

Abstract

Double-stroke locking system (10) comprising a rotary latch (11), a pawl (12) and a drive mechanism (20), wherein the rotary latch (11) has a receiving area (13) which is configured to receive a locking element (30), and wherein the pawl (12) is configured to lock the rotary latch (11) in at least one rotational position, wherein the pawl (12) has an actuating lever (14) and can be moved by the actuating lever (14) into an unlocking position (12') or into a locking position (12"), wherein the actuating lever (14) is connectable to the drive mechanism (20), wherein the actuating lever (14) can be decoupled from the drive mechanism (20) by performing a first unlocking stroke (1) by the drive mechanism (20), characterized in that the actuating lever (14) is connected by a rotatable driver (22) the drive mechanism (20) can be moved into an unlocked position (12'),wherein after the first unlocking stroke (1) the actuating lever (14) can be decoupled from the drive mechanism (20) by the driver (22) sliding off the actuating lever (14).

Description

The invention relates to a double-stroke locking system according to the preamble of claim 1, comprising a rotary latch, a pawl, and a drive mechanism, wherein the rotary latch has a receiving area configured to receive a locking element. The invention further relates to a method according to claim 9. In the automotive sector, so-called double-stroke locking mechanisms or double-stroke locking systems are used to allow a lockable element to be opened from two different positions. For example, the lock of a vehicle's trunk, side doors, and hood can be designed as a double-stroke locking system and can be opened using an internal drive or lever and by operating a lever or handle. Such locking systems typically feature a rotary latch that can be prevented from rotating by a pawl. Usually, the pawl can be disengaged from the rotary latch by a release mechanism to allow the locking system to close.The problem, however, is that the speed at which the locking pawl can re-block the rotary latch after opening, thus allowing the locking system to close, depends on the reset speed of the unlocking mechanism and is therefore subject to a time delay. German patent DE 10 2021 128 302 A1 describes an electrically operated motor vehicle lock. German patent DE 10 2022 106 182 A1 also describes a motor vehicle lock with a latch and a locking pawl. The generic German patent DE 10 2020 114 902 A1 discloses a motor vehicle lock for a side door of a vehicle. The motor vehicle lock has a latch that can be moved into an open position and a closed position. In this position, the latch engages a locking bar to secure it. A locking pawl is also provided to lock or release the latch. The object of the present invention is to provide a locking system which, after unlocking, can be closed again with a minimal time delay. According to the invention, this problem is solved by a double-stroke locking system with the features of claim 1 and a method with the features of claim 9. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are described in the dependent claims. The double-stroke locking system according to the invention comprises a rotary latch, a locking pawl, and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism can be electrically and / or manually operated to unlock the locking system. The double-stroke locking system can be unlocked from several different locations. The rotary latch has a receiving area designed to accommodate a locking element. This locking element can be a locking bolt or a locking bar. The locking element can be, for example, located on a door or flap, which the rotary latch can hold in a locked position. The locking pawl is designed to lock the rotary latch in at least one rotational position. The locking pawl can be tilted relative to the rotary latch to block or release rotation in one direction. Depending on the tilt position of the locking pawl, this allows the rotary latch to engage or disengage the locking element from the receiving area. The pawl has an actuating lever and can be moved by the actuating lever into an unlocked or a locking position. In the unlocked position, the tilting position of the pawl allows the locking element to be received in the receiving area of ​​the rotary latch. In the locking position, the tilting position of the pawl prevents the locking element from being released from the receiving area of ​​the rotary latch. The actuating lever can be connected to a drive mechanism, and the actuating lever can be decoupled from the drive mechanism by performing a first unlocking stroke. According to the invention, the actuating lever can be moved into an unlocked position by a rotatable driver of the drive mechanism, and after the first unlocking stroke, the actuating lever can be decoupled from the drive mechanism by the driver sliding off the actuating lever.After the first unlocking stroke has been executed, the locking pawl can be disengaged from the drive mechanism, so that the locking system can be locked again immediately or fully unlocked into the secure position without having to wait for the drive mechanism to reach its initial position. The drive mechanism is designed to perform one or more unlocking strokes. According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for operating a locking system according to the invention is provided. In one step of the method, with a locking element inserted and locked in the receiving area of ​​the rotary latch, the drive mechanism is manually actuated or electrically driven. This causes the drive mechanism to perform a first unlocking stroke. During this stroke, a driver of the drive mechanism can be pressed or pulled against the actuating lever of the locking pawl, thus changing the tilting position of the locking pawl. After the first unlocking stroke is completed, the driver is released from the actuating lever or spaced apart. This can be achieved, for example, by the driver of the drive mechanism sliding or rotating. By performing a second unlocking stroke via the drive mechanism, the actuator can be moved past the actuating lever into its original position or its initial state. The first unlocking stroke can be in the opposite direction to the second unlocking stroke. The locking system is faster than conventional double-stroke locking mechanisms because, immediately upon completion of the first unlocking stroke, the drive mechanism is disengaged from the pawl. This means the pawl's return speed is no longer dependent on the return speed of the unlocking mechanism or the drive mechanism. With conventional double-stroke locking mechanisms, for example, resetting the pawl and locking the rotary latch is not possible if the user does not release the unlocking lever or the drive mechanism. The locking system according to the invention allows for direct and rapid locking of the rotary latch by the pawl, even if the drive mechanism remains actuated. According to a further embodiment, after a second unlocking stroke is actuated by the drive mechanism, the driver is moved into a home position, with the actuating lever being coupled to the drive mechanism in the driver's home position. This measure allows the locking system to be moved into the open position after the second unlocking stroke has been executed. This state of the locking system again represents the initial state, in which the driver is positioned in its home position. In this state of the locking system, the drive mechanism can be deactivated or not actuated. According to a further embodiment, at least one locking lever is provided, wherein the locking lever is configured to interact positively with a control contour of the rotary latch. This measure allows the locking pawl to be held in the unlocked or locked position by the locking lever along specific areas on the outer contour of the rotary latch. In a further embodiment, the locking lever has a locking section, wherein the locking section is configured to lock the drive mechanism's follower and / or the pawl's actuating lever, the follower and / or the actuating lever being lockable by the locking section in a position where the locking lever is deflected by the control contour. This allows the locking lever to be designed with particular simplicity. If the locking lever is deflected by the control contour or spaced away from the rotary latch, the possible movement of the follower and / or the pawl's actuating lever can be blocked or restricted. In particular, the blocking section can prevent the transition of the drive element from the first unlocking stroke to the second unlocking stroke. Depending on the design, it can alternatively or additionally prevent the completion of the first unlocking stroke, thus preventing the pawl from disengaging from the drive mechanism. The blocking lever can, for example, differentiate the physically existing unlocked state of the locking system via a guide contour or control contour located on the rotary latch, which, when engaged, blocks the release of the locking pawl after the unlocking stroke has been executed. According to a further embodiment, the deflection of the locking lever after rotation of the rotary latch can be reset, and the driver and / or the actuating lever can be released. This allows the effect of the locking section to be lifted after the locking element has been inserted into the receiving section of the rotary latch, resulting in rotation of the rotary latch. In particular, the deflection of the locking lever can be reversed. In a further embodiment, the pawl and / or the rotary latch and / or the locking lever are spring-loaded, with the rotary latch being rotatable about a first axis, the pawl about a second axis, and the locking lever about a second axis. This measure allows the locking system to be designed in a particularly compact manner. The spring-loaded mounting enables optimal interaction between the pawl and the locking lever with the rotary latch. According to a further embodiment, during the first unlocking stroke of the drive mechanism, the driver is rotatable about a drive axis until it reaches a stop against a first guide and is linearly movable along the first guide. The drive axis can be oriented perpendicular to the first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation. The first guide can run parallel to the drive axis. Preferably, after the first unlocking stroke, the driver can slide from the first guide into a second guide running parallel to the first guide. This sliding of the driver also decouples the actuating lever, and thus the pawl, from the driver and therefore from the drive mechanism. During the second unlocking stroke, the driver can be moved along the second guide to a home position. This allows the driver to be moved back to its home position or original position. In a further embodiment, the driver is adjustable along the first guide in a first rotational position and along the second guide in a second rotational position. The two guides can limit the rotation of the driver in defined rotational positions. Ideally, the drive element can be moved along the drive axis in a linear direction opposite to that of the second release stroke during the first release stroke. During the second release stroke, the drive element can be easily guided past the actuating lever. The drive mechanism remains decoupled from the pawl during the second release stroke. The invention is schematically illustrated with reference to embodiments in the drawings and is further described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a side sectional view of a double-stroke locking system according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a drive mechanism of the locking system from Figure 1 to illustrate an effect on an actuating lever. Figure 3 shows a side sectional view of a blocking lever of a locking system according to a further embodiment of the invention. Elements and components with identical or similar constructive or functional characteristics are provided with the same reference symbols across all figures. Fig. 1 shows a side sectional view of a double-stroke locking system 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. Reference is made to Fig. 2, which provides a perspective view of a drive mechanism 20 of the locking system 10 from Fig. 1 to illustrate its effect on an actuating lever. The locking system 10 is preferably configured to carry out a method according to the invention for operating the locking system 10. This method is illustrated with reference to the figures. The double-stroke locking system 10 comprises a rotary latch 11, a locking pawl 12, and a drive mechanism 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive mechanism 20 can be operated electrically and manually to unlock the locking system 10. For electrical operation, the drive mechanism 20 has a drive 21 in the form of an electric motor. The drive 21 of the drive mechanism 20 can be controlled in a forward direction Mv or in a reverse direction Mr. The rotary latch 11 has a receiving area 13 which is designed to receive a locking element 30. The locking element 30 is exemplified as a locking bar. The locking pawl 12 is designed to lock the rotary latch 11 in at least one rotational position. The locking pawl 12 can be tilted relative to the rotary latch 11 to block or release rotation of the rotary latch 11 in one direction. Depending on the tilt position of the locking pawl 12, the rotary latch 11 can thus receive the locking element 30 into the receiving area 13 or release it from the receiving area 13. The pawl 12 has an actuating lever 14 and can be moved by the actuating lever 14 into an unlocked position 12' or into a locking position 12''. The pawl 12 is shown by way of example in an unlocked position 12' and the pawl 12 is shown by way of example in a locking position 12''. In the unlocked position 12' of the locking pawl 12, the locking element 30 is allowed to be received in the receiving area 13 of the rotary latch 11. In the locked position 12'', the tilting position of the locking pawl 12 prevents the locking element 30 from being released from the receiving area 13 of the rotary latch 11. The actuating lever 14 can be connected to the drive mechanism 20, and the actuating lever 14 can be decoupled from the drive mechanism 20 by performing a first release stroke 1. In doing so, a driver 22 of the drive mechanism 20 can be pulled against the actuating lever 14 of the pawl 12. The figures show the driver 22 / 1 during the first unlocking stroke 1, the driver 22 / 2 during a second unlocking stroke 2, and the driver 22 / 3 in the home position 3, to illustrate the movement sequences of the driver 22. Such a linear movement of the driver 22 occurs in the direction of a drive axis D3. The driver 22 is rotated from a home position 3 about the drive axis D3 by the drive 21 in the forward direction Mv and pulled along the drive axis D3 in the direction of the drive 21. The rotation and linear movement of the driver 22 can be effected, for example, by means of a spindle 24 spring-loaded by a spring 25. During the first unlocking stroke 1 of the drive mechanism 20, the driver 22 is rotatable about the drive axis D3 until it reaches a stop against a first guide 23 and is linearly movable along the first guide 23. The first guide 23 runs parallel to the drive axis D3. Pulling the actuating lever 14 along the guide 23 changes the tilting position of the pawl 12. After the first release stroke 1 is completed, the driver 22 is released or separated from the actuating lever 14. This transition occurs, for example, by the driver 22 sliding or rotating within the drive mechanism 20. At the end of the first release stroke 1, the first guide 23 stops moving, allowing the driver 22 to be rotated further by the spring force of the spring 25. This causes the driver 22 to slide off the actuating lever 14 and decouple it. The rotation of the driver 22 is then stopped by a second guide 26, which runs parallel to the first guide 23. The driver 22 can be brought into a basic position 3 or starting position when the drive 21 is operated in the reverse direction Mr, so that the driver 22 is moved along the second guide 26 during the second unlocking stroke 2. The respective positions of the driver 22 and the corresponding orientations relative to the guides 23, 26 during the first unlocking stroke 1, the second unlocking stroke 2 and in the home position 3 are illustrated in section AA. Fig. 3 shows a lateral sectional view of a locking lever 40 of the locking system 10 according to a further embodiment of the invention. The locking lever 40 is designed to interact positively with a control contour 27 of the rotary latch 11. By means of this measure, the locking pawl 12 can be held by the locking lever 40 along certain areas on the outer contour of the rotary latch in the unlocked position 12' or in the locked position 12". The rotary latch 11 is rotatable about a first axis of rotation D1, and the pawl 12 about a second axis of rotation D2. The locking lever 40 is also rotatable about the second axis of rotation D2. The locking lever 40 has a locking section 41, which is designed to lock the driver 22 of the drive mechanism 20 and / or the actuating lever 14 of the pawl 12. If the locking lever 40 is deflected by the control contour 27 or separated from the rotary latch 11, the possible movement of the driver 22 and / or the actuating lever 14 of the pawl 12 can be blocked or restricted. In the illustrated embodiment, the blocking section 41 blocks the rotational movement of the driver 22 to complete the first unlocking stroke 1. This prevents the driver 22 from rotating until it reaches the second guide 26. Therefore, the actuating lever 14 cannot be decoupled from the drive mechanism 20. REFERENCE MARK LIST: 1 First unlocking stroke 2 Second unlocking stroke 3 Home position / Starting position 10 Locking system / Double-stroke locking system 11 Rotary latch 12 Locking pawl 12' Unlocking position 12" Locking position 13 Receiving area 14 Actuating lever 20 Drive mechanism 21 Drive 22 Driver 22 / 1 Driver during the first unlocking stroke 1 22 / 2 Driver during a second unlocking stroke 2 22 / 3 Driver in the home position 3 23 First guide 24 Spindle 25 Spring 26 Second guide 27 Control contour 30 Locking element 40 Blocking lever 41 Blocking section D3 Drive axis D1 First axis of rotation D2 Second axis of rotation Mv Forward direction Mr Reverse direction

Claims

Double-stroke locking system (10) comprising a rotary latch (11), a pawl (12) and a drive mechanism (20), wherein the rotary latch (11) has a receiving area (13) which is configured to receive a locking element (30), and wherein the pawl (12) is configured to lock the rotary latch (11) in at least one rotational position, wherein the pawl (12) has an actuating lever (14) and can be moved by the actuating lever (14) into an unlocking position (12') or into a locking position (12"), wherein the actuating lever (14) is connectable to the drive mechanism (20), wherein the actuating lever (14) can be decoupled from the drive mechanism (20) by performing a first unlocking stroke (1) by the drive mechanism (20), characterized in that the actuating lever (14) is connected by a rotatable driver (22) the drive mechanism (20) can be moved into an unlocked position (12'),wherein after the first unlocking stroke (1) the actuating lever (14) can be decoupled from the drive mechanism (20) by the driver (22) sliding off the actuating lever (14). Locking system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the driver (22) can be moved into a home position (3) after actuation of a second unlocking stroke (2) by the drive mechanism (20), wherein in the home position (3) of the driver (22) the actuating lever (14) is coupled to the drive mechanism (20). Locking system (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking system (10) has at least one locking lever (40), wherein the locking lever (40) is configured to interact positively with a control contour (27) of the rotary latch (11). Locking system (10) according to claim 3, wherein the locking lever (40) has a locking section (41), wherein the locking section (41) is configured to lock the driver (22) of the drive mechanism (20) and / or the actuating lever (14) of the pawl (12), wherein the driver (22) and / or the actuating lever (14) can be locked by the locking section (41) in a deflected state of the locking lever (40) by the control contour (27). Locking system (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a deflection of the blocking lever (40) can be reset after a rotation of the rotary latch (11) and the driver (22) and / or the actuating lever (14) can be released. Locking system (10) according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the locking pawl (12) and / or the rotary latch (11) and / or the blocking lever (40) are spring-loaded, wherein the rotary latch (11) is rotatably arranged about a first axis of rotation (D1) and the locking pawl (12) about a second axis of rotation (D2) and the blocking lever (40) about the second axis of rotation (D2). Locking system (10) according to one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the driver (22) is rotatable about a drive axis (D3) until it reaches a stop against a first guide (23) and is linearly movable along the first guide (23) during the first unlocking stroke (1) of the drive mechanism (20), wherein the driver (22) is slideable from the first guide (23) into a second guide (26) running parallel to the first guide (23) after the first unlocking stroke (1) has been carried out, and wherein during the second unlocking stroke (2) the driver (22) is movable along the second guide (26) to a home position (3). Locking system (10) according to claim 7, wherein the driver (22) is adjustable in a first rotational position along the first guide (23) and wherein the driver (22) is adjustable in a second rotational position along the second guide (26), wherein the first unlocking stroke (1) is movable in a linear direction opposite to the second unlocking stroke (2) along the drive axis (D3). Method for operating a locking system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a drive mechanism (20) is actuated and a first unlocking stroke (1) is performed, wherein during the first unlocking stroke (1) a driver (22) of the drive mechanism (20) moves a pawl (12) from a first tilting position to a second tilting position via an actuating lever (14), wherein after the completion of the first unlocking stroke (1) the driver (22) is decoupled from the actuating lever (14).

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