Protective device for the unlocking mechanism of a flush-handle type door lock

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a protection device for an unlocking mechanism of a door lock, more particularly of a door lock with a flush-type handle, in particular of a motor vehicle.

[0002] By unlocking mechanism is meant a locking and unlocking mechanism.

[0003] A door is any opening comprising an internal wall and an external wall.

[0004] As disclosed by US 6,240,754 B1, EP 3,067,494 A1 or EP 1,105,603 B1, a flush-type door handle is mounted to slide in a door opening between a rest position in which the handle is flush with the door, and more precisely the external wall of the door, and a working position in which the handle projects relative to the door, and more precisely the external wall of the door. A motor is generally provided to ensure the transition from the rest position to the working position after identification of the person attempting to open the door.

[0005] The door opening can be likened to a housing arranged in the door.

[0006] The working position is the position in which the handle can be operated by the user.

[0007] The lock of such a door comprises an unlocking mechanism adapted to unlock said lock, so that the door can be opened by a user.

[0008] Such an unlocking mechanism can be either electrical or mechanical.

[0009] In the case of a mechanical unlocking mechanism, this comprises, in a known manner, a cylinder having a passage for the insertion of an unlocking key, the cylinder being connected to an unlocking element of the lock by means of a member for operating the unlocking element of the lock.

[0010] Access to the unlocking mechanism is usually concealed for aesthetic and security reasons, either by a lock cover that can be removed manually, or in the door opening, behind the handle that can be moved by sliding.

[0011] Furthermore, in order to reinforce the security of the locking, the unlocking mechanism is arranged in a housing equipped with means of fixing to the door, the housing comprising a light allowing the operating member to move to perform its unlocking function when it is actuated.

[0012] However, despite the concealment of access to the unlocking mechanism and the presence of the box, there is a risk of forced opening of the door by accessing the operating member of the unlocking element at the level of the light of the box.

[0013] One aim of the invention is to ensure the security of the locking by limiting access to the operating member of the unlocking element.

[0014] To this end, the invention provides a protection device for an unlocking mechanism of a lock, in particular a door of the type with a handle mounted to slide in an opening of the door between a rest position in which the handle is flush with the door and a working position in which the handle projects relative to the door, the unlocking mechanism comprising an element for unlocking the lock and a member for operating the element for unlocking the lock, said operating member being capable of performing a stroke between a locking position and an unlocking position, in which the protection device comprises a protection element, such as a plate, configured to be arranged between the operating member and the door, the protection element being configured to act as a screen over the entire stroke of the operating member.

[0015] The protective element thus protects access to the operating device and thus ensures the safety of the lock.

[0016] The protective device further comprises a cover element configured to cover the operating member by cooperating with the protective element. The cover element is configured to cover the operating member over the entire stroke of the operating member, while allowing the operating member to complete its stroke between the locking position and the unlocking position.

[0017] More particularly, the cover element is capable of cooperating with the protection element in a removable manner. In this way, the operating member can be accessible for maintenance operations, for example, if necessary.

[0018] The cover element is able to cooperate with the protection element, for example by complementarity of shape or clipping.

[0019] The covering element is preferably made of metal.

[0020] It advantageously has an elastic tab allowing cooperation by clipping with the protection element.

[0021] The protection device further comprises a housing intended to receive the unlocking mechanism, the housing comprising a light allowing the operating member to move to perform its unlocking function when it is actuated.

[0022] According to this embodiment, the cover element is adapted to cover the light of the housing while allowing the operating member to complete its travel between the locking position and the unlocking position.

[0023] In addition, the protective element is attached to the housing.

[0024] Alternatively, the protective element is an integral part of the housing.

[0025] In this variant, the protective element is integral with the housing. The protective element and the housing are made of a single piece or are monobloc.

[0026] The protective element is preferably made of metal.

[0027] The cover element is attached to the housing by a hinge so that it is movable between a cover position in which it covers the operating member and an access position in which the operating member is accessible.

[0028] The cover position can be likened to an assembled position of the protective device.

[0029] According to this configuration, the covering element has two substantially perpendicular walls, one of the walls being fixed to the housing via the hinge, while the other wall cooperates with the protective element, for example by shape complementarity or clipping.

[0030] The invention further relates to a door assembly, comprising: an opening, a handle mounted to slide in the door opening between a rest position in which the handle is flush with the door and a working position in which the handle projects relative to the door, a lock, a mechanism for unlocking the lock, comprising a lock unlocking element and a member for operating the lock unlocking element, said operating member being capable of performing a stroke between a locking position and an unlocking position, and a protection device as described previously.

[0031] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows, for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: there figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a protective device for an unlocking mechanism seen from its rear face, the cover element of which is in the access position; figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the device of the figure 1 , the covering element being in the covering position; the figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of the protection device of the figure 2 seen from its front face, the unlocking mechanism not being shown; the figure 4 is a schematic view of the rear of the protection device of the figure 1 , the rear face not being shown and the unlocking mechanism being partially shown; the figure 5 is a schematic view of the rear face of the protective device, seen from the front of the device, the locking mechanism and the cover element also being shown; figure 6 illustrates a flush-type door handle, the handle being in a working position, projecting from the door, so that the door lock is visible.

[0032] In the present application, the front face or the front of the protection device is considered, when the device is integrated in a motor vehicle door and the latter is closed, as the face closest to the exterior of the vehicle, while the rear face or the back is considered as the face closest to the interior of the vehicle.

[0033] The terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", and their derivatives refer to the position or orientation of an element or component, this position or orientation being considered when the vehicle is in service configuration on level ground.

[0034] There figure 1 represents a protection device 10 of an unlocking mechanism 11 of a lock 12 ( figure 6 ) of door 13 ( figure 6 ) of motor vehicle (not shown).

[0035] The unlocking mechanism 11 comprises an unlocking element 14 for the lock 12, an operating member 15 for the unlocking element 14, and a cable 16 which connects the operating member 15 to the unlocking element 14.

[0036] The operating member 15 of the unlocking element 14 of the lock 12 is a lever.

[0037] The protection device 10 comprises a housing 17, a protection element 18 and a cover element 19.

[0038] The housing 17 is substantially parallelepipedal and has an upper face 20, a lower face 21, a front face 22, a rear face 23 and two side faces 24.

[0039] The front 22, upper 20, lower 21 and side 24 faces form a first single-piece part 25, while the rear face 23 forms a second single-piece part 26, fitted into the first part 25.

[0040] The housing 17 includes a light 27 arranged on its upper face 20, and more precisely attached to its rear face 23.

[0041] The 17 case is made of plastic.

[0042] In a variant not shown, the housing 17 is made of metal, such as steel.

[0043] The unlocking mechanism 11 is housed in the housing 17.

[0044] As illustrated on the figure 1 , the operating member 15 and the cable 16 protrude from the housing 17, from the light 27.

[0045] The protective element 18 is configured to be arranged between the operating member 15 and the door 13 ( figure 6 ), to protect the operating member 15. It is in the form of a plate perpendicular to the upper face 20 of the housing 17, extending over the entire length L of the light 27.

[0046] In the embodiment shown in the figure 1 , the protective element 18 is an integral part of the housing 17, and more precisely of the first part 25 of the housing 17. Thus, the protective element 18 is an element projecting from the upper face 20 of the housing 17, arranged along the light 27.

[0047] The protective element 18 has a rounded upper edge 28.

[0048] As shown in the figure 2 , the cover element 19 is intended to cover the operating member 15 ( figure 1 ). It has two substantially perpendicular walls 19a and 19b, one of the walls 19b being fixed to the second part 26 of the housing 17 by a hinge 29, while the other wall 19a is intended to cooperate with the rounded upper edge 28 ( figure 1 ) of the protective element 18 ( figure 1 ), by clipping.

[0049] The cover element 19 is therefore movable between a cover position ( figure 2 ) in which it covers the operating member 15 and an access position ( figure 1 ) in which the operating member 15 is discovered.

[0050] The rear face 23 of the housing 17 has an upper side 30, a lower side 31 and two lateral sides 32, and the cover element 19 is fixed, via the hinge 29, to the upper side 30 of said rear face 23, at the level of the light 27, by the hinge 29 with an axis parallel to the upper 30 and lower 31 sides.

[0051] The cover element 19 is configured to pivot about an axis B parallel to the upper side 30 of the rear face 23 of the housing 17.

[0052] In a variant not shown, the cover element 19 is fixed to the housing 17 by any other means allowing it to pivot around the axis B parallel to the upper side 30 of the rear face 23 of the housing 17. For example, the cover element 19 may have a reduced thickness at its line of fixing with the housing 17, along the axis B parallel to the upper side 30 of the rear face 23 of the housing 17.

[0053] The dimensions and shape of the light 27 of the housing 17, and the dimensions and shape of the protective element 18 and of the covering element 19, are such that the operating member 15 is capable of performing a stroke between a locking position and an unlocking position.

[0054] The light 27 allows the operating member 15 to move to perform its unlocking function when it is actuated.

[0055] Furthermore, the dimensions and shape of the protective element 18 are such that it acts as a screen over the entire travel of the operating member 15, between the locking position and the unlocking position.

[0056] The cover element 19 is made of metal, such as steel.

[0057] There figure 3 illustrates the protection device 10, the unlocking mechanism not being shown. The second part 26 of the housing 17 is fitted into the first part 25 of the housing 17 by clipping means.

[0058] Furthermore, the cover element 19 is fitted into the protection element 18 by clipping means.

[0059] There figure 4 illustrates the operating member 15 projecting through the light 27 of the first part 25 of the housing 17. The operating member 15 is movable in rotation around an axis A. The protection element 18 acts as a screen over the entire travel of the operating member 15, from the front of the protection device 10.

[0060] There figure 5 illustrates in more detail the unlocking mechanism 11. This comprises a cylinder 33 having a passage 34 for the introduction of an unlocking key 37, the cylinder 33 being connected to the unlocking element 14 of the lock 12 ( figure 6 ) by means of an operating member 15, presented in the form of a lever, of the unlocking element 14 of the lock 12. The cable 16 connects the operating member 15 to the unlocking element 14.

[0061] The cover element 19 is capable of covering the operating member 15 over its entire travel allowing locking / unlocking.

[0062] There figure 6 illustrates a handle 35 of door 13, the handle 35 being of the flush type, and being in a working position, projecting from the door 13, so that the lock 12 of the door is visible.

[0063] Door 13 has an internal wall (not visible on the figure 6 ) and an outer wall 38, opposite the inner wall, an opening 36 being configured in the door 13 from the outer wall 38.

[0064] The handle 35 is mounted to slide in the opening 36 of the door 13 between a rest position (not shown) in which the handle 35 is flush with the outer wall 38 of the door 12 and a working position ( figure 6 ) in which the handle 35 projects relative to the external wall 38 of the door 13.

[0065] The protective device 10 as described above is arranged in the opening 36 of the door 13, behind the handle 35, set back from the external wall 38 in the direction of the opposite internal wall.

[0066] The first part 25, and more precisely the front face 22, of the housing 17 of the protection device 10 is visible to the user when the handle 35 projects from the door 13.

[0067] The lock 12, comprising the unlocking mechanism 11 (not shown in the figure 6 ), is arranged in the box 17, the passage 34 for the key 37 ( figure 5 ) flush with the front face 22 of the case.

Claims

1. A protection device (10) for a mechanism (11) for unlocking a latch (12) in particular of a door (13), of the type with a handle (35) mounted to slide in an opening (36) of the door (13) between a rest position in which the handle (35) is flush with the door (13) and a working position in which the handle (35) projects relative to the door (13), the unlocking mechanism (11) including an element (14) for unlocking the latch (12) and a member (15) for maneuvering the element (14) for unlocking the latch (12), said maneuvering member (15) being capable of performing a stroke between a locking position and an unlocking position, the protection device (10) including a protection element (18), such as a plate, configured to be disposed between the maneuvering member (15) and the door (13), the protection element (18) being configured to act as a shield over the entire stroke of the maneuvering member (15), the protection device (10) further including a covering element (19) configured to cover the maneuvering member (15) by cooperating with the protection element (18), over the entire stroke of the maneuvering member (15), while allowing the maneuvering member (15) to perform its stroke between the locking position and the unlocking position, the protection device (10) further including a case (17) intended to receive the unlocking mechanism (11), the case (17) including a lumen (27) allowing the maneuvering member (15) to move to ensure its unlocking function when it is actuated, characterized in that the covering element (19) is fastened to the case (17) by a hinge (29) so that it is movable between a covering position in which it covers the maneuvering member (15) and an access position in which the maneuvering member (15) is uncovered.

2. The protection device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the covering element (19) is capable of removably cooperating with the protection element.

3. The protection device (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the covering element (19) is capable of cooperating with the protection element (18), for example in a form-fitting manner or by clipping.

4. The protection device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the covering element (19) is made of metal.

5. The protection device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the covering element (19) is adapted to cover the lumen (27) of the case (17) while allowing the maneuvering member (15) to perform its stroke between the locking position and the unlocking position.

6. The protection device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protection element (18) is an integral part of the case (17).

7. The protection device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the protection element (18) is made of metal.

8. An assembly for a door (13), including: - an opening (36), - a handle (35) mounted to slide in the opening (36) of the door (13) between a rest position in which the handle (35) is flush with the door (13) and a working position in which the handle (35) projects relative to the door (13), - a latch (12), - a mechanism (11) for unlocking the latch (12), including an element (14) for unlocking the latch (12) and a member (15) for maneuvering the element (14) for unlocking the latch (12), said maneuvering member (15) being capable of performing a stroke between a locking position and an unlocking position, and - a protection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims.