Motor vehicle lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which is provided with an actuation lever chain (2, 3, 4, 5, 8) having at least one locking lever (5) and an actuation lever (4). The lock is also provided with an electromagnet unit (6) that alternatively retains and releases the locking lever (5). According to the invention the lock also comprises a sensor (7) monitoring the electromagnet unit (6).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Motor vehicle lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock

[0003] The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, with an operating lever chain with at least one safety lever and one operating lever, and with an electromagnet unit which selectively holds and releases the safety lever.

[0004] Motor vehicle locks, and especially motor vehicle door locks, are typically equipped with one or more electric motor drives to enable and implement different functional positions. Examples of these different functional positions include the "locked / unlocked," "child-resistant / child-unprotected," or "theft-resistant / theft-unprotected" positions, which can generally be subsumed under the generic term "secured / unsecured" and are represented by the locking lever. Consequently, depending on the specific design, the locking lever can be a locking lever, a child-resistant lever, an anti-theft lever, or even a combination of these. This has generally proven to be effective.

[0005] In the generic state of the art according to DE 60 2004 007 638 T2, a motor vehicle lock is designed to implement a remote control. The specific goal is to achieve a locking function, even if the operating lever chain or a locking lever chain is blocked.

[0006] For this purpose, the known teaching proposes, among other things, a locking lever as a safety lever that can be manually moved from its unlocked position to the locked position and back. Furthermore, the locking lever can be mechanically actuated via a doorknob. Finally, the possibility of electromechanical actuation using an electromagnet is also addressed.

[0007] Such electromagnetic actuation of the safety lever requires that the safety lever be designed to be magnetizable, at least in the area of ​​interaction with the electromagnet. Furthermore, the range of such electromagnets is limited with regard to actuating movements of the safety lever. For this reason, in practice, the previously described electric motor drives for actuating the safety lever or, more generally, levers of an actuating lever chain are predominantly used. Only with the help of such electric motor drives can significant actuating movements of the lever to be actuated be realized. For this purpose, the electromagnetic drives already mentioned typically have an output pulley and an actuating cam arranged on it.

[0008] All of the motor vehicle locks described above, and in particular motor vehicle door locks, face the general problem of protecting the vehicle occupants in the event of an accident, for example, and of providing arriving emergency personnel with the most unhindered access possible to the vehicle interior. Various solutions exist in the prior art that utilize inertia elements, for example to block exterior door handles or to move a locked motor vehicle lock into its unlocking position in the event of a crash. These known approaches have generally proven successful, but are often complex in design and leave room for improvements in their functionality. Using the electromagnet implemented in the generic prior art according to DE 60 2004 007 638 T2, it is generally possible to selectively hold and release the safety lever.to hold it in its "locked" position or to move it to the "unlocked" position. All of this is achieved silently due to the magnetic holding forces, making it superior to conventional electric motor drives with output pulleys and actuating cams in terms of noise levels. However, such safety units pose the problem that the exact condition of the electromagnet unit is unknown. Consequently, no direct information can be provided about the position of the safety lever in terms of "locked" or "unlocked."

[0009] Typically, the safety lever is in its "locked" functional position, resting against the electromagnet or electromagnet unit. In contrast, the "unlocked" position of the safety lever corresponds to the electromagnet no longer magnetically attracting the safety lever. These different functional positions cannot currently be verified in the prior art and transmitted, for example, to a control unit. This is where the invention comes in.

[0010] The invention is based on the technical problem of further developing such a motor vehicle lock in such a way that a simple check of the functional state of the safety lever is possible.

[0011] To solve this technical problem, a generic motor vehicle lock and in particular a motor vehicle door lock is characterized in the context of the invention in that a sensor is provided which checks the electromagnet unit.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment, the sensor is designed as a magnetic field sensor, for example, a Hall sensor. This means that the sensor or magnetic field sensor can be used to check and detect the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet unit, both in terms of its basic existence and its strength. For this purpose, the sensor is advantageously arranged in an interaction area between the safety lever and the electromagnet unit.

[0013] The placement of the sensor in the interaction area of ​​the safety lever with the electromagnet unit ensures that the sensor accurately detects the presence and also the strength of the magnetic field from the electromagnet unit in the area in which the electromagnet or the electromagnet unit can act on the safety lever.

[0014] Advantageously, the sensor is configured to detect both the acoustic state of the electromagnet unit and the magnetic field, thus enabling diagnostics. This means that the sensor can first detect the switching state of the electromagnet unit. In the simplest case, this corresponds to the electromagnet unit being switched on or off. The switched-on state may correspond to the safety lever, which is magnetizable at least in the interaction area with the electromagnet or the electromagnet unit, being attracted to the electromagnet unit.

[0015] Thanks to the additional diagnostic option and the magnetic field measurement on the part of the sensor, there is also the further option that the sensor can use the measured magnetic field to determine whether this is sufficient to actually hold the safety lever in contact with the electromagnet unit. In this case, the invention is typically based on the knowledge that the safety lever is usually elastically coupled to an actuating lever, so that when the actuating lever is acted upon, forces act on the safety lever in order to remove it from the electromagnet unit. Perfect functionality is only guaranteed if the electromagnet or the electromagnet unit generates a sufficient magnetic field to hold the safety lever in its “secured” position. Since the sensor orA magnetic field sensor is advantageously configured not only for detecting the switching state but also for measuring the magnetic field. It can be used to check the switching state of the electromagnet unit as well as whether the magnetic field provided by the electromagnet unit is sufficient to hold the safety lever in contact with the electromagnet unit. This means that in addition to detecting the switching state, the sensor is also capable of diagnostics.

[0016] In this way, a control unit connected to the sensor and supplied with the corresponding sensor signals can be comprehensively informed about the current state of the electromagnet unit and thus also that of the safety lever. As a result, for example, an error or fault signal is not only output when the electromagnet unit remains switched off despite being energized or does not generate a magnetic field, but also in the event that the generated magnetic field is insufficient. This means that the safety lever, even when the electromagnet unit is switched "on", still assumes or can assume its "unlocked" state. This results in comprehensive information for the control unit and allows a complete picture of the functional status of the vehicle lock in question to be compiled. This is where the key advantages lie.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment, the operating lever chain is equipped with a clutch lever in addition to the safety lever, which interacts with the safety lever. For this purpose, it has proven effective if the clutch lever is, for example, rotatably mounted on the operating lever. Consequently, if the operating lever is subjected to a load, the clutch lever, which is rotatably mounted on the operating lever, is driven along with this process. Furthermore, since the safety lever typically has a driving contour that acts on the clutch lever, the clutch lever can be moved to its "disengaged" position during this process.

[0018] Furthermore, the safety lever and the operating lever are usually elastically coupled. In this case, a spring, particularly a screw or coil spring, is often used to elastically couple the two levers. This allows the clutch lever to be engaged / disengaged according to the action of the electromagnet unit acting on the safety lever. The safety lever may be a locking lever. It could also be designed as a child safety lever or an anti-theft device. Combinations are also conceivable.

[0019] When the safety lever is in the "locked" position, the safety lever is connected to the electromagnet unit. For this purpose, the electromagnet unit is energized and generates a magnetic field that attracts the entire magnetizable safety lever, or at least the magnetizable area of ​​the safety lever in the area of ​​interaction with the electromagnet.

[0020] If the actuating lever is now subjected to pressure in this "locked" position, the safety lever is still held in contact with the electromagnet unit. As a result, the drive contour on the safety lever acting on the clutch lever can act on the clutch lever. Since the clutch lever and thus the drive contour on the safety lever are rotatably mounted on the actuating lever, a pivoting movement of the actuating lever relative to the stationary safety lever causes the clutch lever to move from its typically assumed "engaged" functional position to the "disengaged" position.

[0021] As a consequence, the disengaged clutch lever cannot mechanically connect the actuating lever to an additional release lever, so that a locking mechanism, which can be actuated by means of the release lever and essentially consists of a rotary latch and a pawl, maintains its assumed closed position.

[0022] If, however, the solenoid unit is deactivated and releases the safety lever, the safety lever can move together with the actuating lever when the actuating lever is actuated. As a result, the clutch lever remains in its "engaged" position, allowing the actuating lever to act on the release lever via the engaged clutch lever. As a result, a pawl engaged with a rotary latch is lifted with the help of the release lever when the locking mechanism is closed. The locking mechanism and an associated vehicle door are opened. This represents the main advantage.

[0023] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing which merely represents an exemplary embodiment; in the drawings:

[0024] Fig. 1 the motor vehicle lock according to the invention in the “secured” state,

[0025] Fig. 2 the motor vehicle lock according to Fig. 1 in the actuated state and

[0026] Fig. 3 shows the object according to Fig. 1 in the functional state “unlocked”.

[0027] The figures depict a motor vehicle lock, which, according to the exemplary embodiment, is designed as a motor vehicle door lock. The motor vehicle door lock initially comprises a locking mechanism 1 (only indicated) and an operating lever chain 2, 3, 4, 5. The operating lever chain 2, 3, 4, 5 is equipped with at least one locking lever 5 and one operating lever 4.

[0028] The illustration shows that, in addition to the safety lever 5 and the actuating lever 4, a clutch lever 3 and a release lever 2 are also provided. The clutch lever 3 is rotatably mounted on the actuating lever 4. In the exemplary embodiment, the actuating lever 4 is, and is not limited to, an external actuating lever 4, which can be actuated by means of a handle 8 or an electric motor drive.

[0029] Additionally, an electromagnet unit 6 is provided, which selectively holds and releases the safety lever 5. For this purpose, the safety lever 5 is designed to be magnetizable at least in an interaction area 9 with the electromagnet unit 6. As a rule, the safety lever 5 is designed to be magnetizable throughout and can, for example, be constructed as a lever made of (magnetizable) steel.

[0030] The electromagnet unit 6 is controlled by a control unit 10. Furthermore, according to the invention, a sensor 7 is implemented that monitors the electromagnet unit 6, the signals of which are also received by the control unit 10.

[0031] According to the exemplary embodiment, the sensor 7 is a magnetic field sensor, which is designed, for example, as a Hall sensor. This means that a semiconductor chip operating according to the Hall effect is used as the magnetic field sensor 7. For this purpose, the sensor or magnetic field sensor 7 is arranged in the interaction area 9 between the safety lever 5 and the electromagnet unit 6. In this way, both a switching state of the electromagnet unit 6 and a magnetic field measurement can be carried out using the sensor or magnetic field sensor 7. The switching state of the electromagnet unit 6 generally refers to the "on" and "off" states, which can be detected using the sensor or magnetic field sensor 7 and transmitted to the control unit 10. In addition, the sensor or magnetic field sensor 7 is also configured to measure the magnetic field and is therefore capable of diagnostics.

[0032] This means that the sensor or magnetic field sensor 7 arranged in the interaction area 9 can also detect the strength of the magnetic field in the interaction area 9. From the strength of the magnetic field, it can then be determined whether the safety lever 5 is securely held in contact with the electromagnet unit 6 or not when the electromagnet unit 6 is energized. This typically includes the "secured" state of the safety lever 5, namely when it is in contact with the electromagnet unit 6.

[0033] However, if the electromagnet unit 6 is deactivated, it releases the safety lever 5, and the safety lever 5 moves into its "unlocked" functional position. The same applies if the strength of the magnetic field in the interaction zone 9 is insufficient.

[0034] As already explained above, the operating lever chain 2, 3, 4, 5 is equipped in addition to the safety lever 5 with a coupling lever 3, which interacts or can interact with the safety lever 5. For this purpose, the safety lever 5 has a driving contour 5a. The coupling lever 3 is rotatably mounted on the operating lever 4. For this purpose, a rotation axis 4a is provided on the operating lever 4, which, in the exemplary embodiment and as described, is an external operating lever. It can be seen that the safety lever 5 and the operating lever 4 are elastically coupled to one another. For this purpose, a spring 11 is provided which elastically couples the two levers 4, 5 to one another and, in the exemplary embodiment, is a helical spring or coil spring 11.Furthermore, the design allows the clutch lever 3 to be selectively engaged / disengaged according to the action of the electromagnet unit 6 acting on the safety lever 5, as explained in more detail below. The safety lever 5 can be a locking lever 5. Generally, the implementation of a child safety lever or anti-theft lever, as well as a combination of both, is also possible and conceivable.

[0035] The mechanism works as follows. Figure 1 shows the closed state of the locking mechanism 1. The safety lever 5 is in its "secured" functional position, resting against the electromagnet unit 6 because the electromagnet unit 6 is energized. The energization of the electromagnet unit 6 and a sufficient magnetic field in the interaction zone 9 to hold the safety lever 5 in place are detected by the sensor or magnetic field sensor 7 and transmitted to the control unit 10.

[0036] If, starting from this functional position "secured" in Fig. 1 and with the locking mechanism 1 in the closed state, the actuating lever or external actuating lever 4 is actuated by means of the handle 8, which corresponds to its clockwise movement around an axis 12 indicated in Fig. 1, this movement of the actuating lever 4 is clockwise around its axis 12 with respect to the release lever 2 and thus also the locking mechanism 1. In fact, the actuating lever 4 and the release lever 2 are mounted on the same axis (see Fig. 2).

[0037] When the actuating lever 4 is actuated clockwise about its axis 12, the locking lever 5, in its secured position, ensures that the driving contour 5a can act on the clutch lever 3, which is mounted on the actuating lever 4 so that it can rotate about the axis 4a. In fact, the clutch lever 3 is pivoted counterclockwise about its axis of rotation 7 or axis 4a, as shown in Fig. 2, compared to the illustration in Fig. 1.

[0038] As a result, the clutch lever 3 moves from its previously "engaged" state, as shown in Fig. 1, to the "disengaged" position. This means that the actuating lever 4, together with the disengaged clutch lever 3, cannot act on the release lever 2, which is mounted coaxially with the actuating lever 4. This is because a corresponding contour of the clutch lever 3 runs past a counter contour of the release lever 2, as can be seen by comparing Fig. 1 with Fig. 2. As a result, the release lever 2 remains in its position, and the movement of the actuating lever 4 as a whole is also idle with respect to the locking mechanism 1, which consequently maintains its closed state.

[0039] This means that the clutch lever 3 is disengaged in accordance with the action of the electromagnet unit 6 acting on the safety lever 5 when the safety lever 5 is in the "locked" position. As a result, when the actuating lever 4 is actuated about its axis 12, the actuating lever 4 merely pivots about the respective axis 12, without the safety lever 5 being moved along with it. The spring 11 coupling the two levers 4, 5 is stretched during this process. The clutch lever 3 moves past the release lever 2, so that the locking mechanism 1 is not opened.

[0040] If, however, the electromagnet unit 6 is no longer energized, the safety lever 5 can no longer be magnetically held in contact with the electromagnet unit 6. This corresponds to a transition from the "locked" functional position of the safety lever 5 in contact with the electromagnet unit 6 according to Figs. 1 and 2 to the "unlocked" functional position of the safety lever 5n, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0041] Since the safety lever 5 is no longer held by the electromagnet unit 6, a renewed clockwise motion of the actuating lever 4 about its axis 12 causes the safety lever 5 to be driven along with it. This is ensured by the spring 11, which elastically couples the two levers 4, 5 to one another and is not deflected during this process. Since there is consequently no relative movement between the clutch lever 3 and the safety lever 5 or its driving contour 5a in this case, the clutch lever 3 remains "engaged" in its position shown in Fig. 1. As a result, the engaged clutch lever 3 can work with its contour on the counter contour on the release lever 2 and the actuation of the actuating lever 4 in a clockwise direction about the axis 12 causes the release lever 2 to be taken along in this process and also pivoted clockwise about the common axis 12.

[0042] The clockwise pivoting movement of the release lever 2 around the axis 12 results in the release lever 2 lifting a pawl (not expressly shown) as a component of the locking mechanism 1 from a rotary latch also provided at this location, with the aid of the release lever 2, with its locking engagement. Accordingly, the rotary latch can open with spring support and releases a previously trapped locking bolt. A corresponding motor vehicle door is also released in this manner.

[0043] The transition from the "secured" position of the safety lever, as shown in Fig. 1, to the "unsecured" position shown in Fig. 2, with the simultaneous possibility of opening the locking mechanism 1, can be brought about either by the control unit 10 or, for example, by a power failure of the electromagnet unit 6. The latter possibility may correspond to an accident or a "crash". Since in this case the safety lever 5, designed as a locking lever, leaves its "secured" or "locked" position, it follows that, following such a crash, the illustrated motor vehicle

[0044] The lock is transferred to its "unlocked" or "unlocked" state and can therefore still be opened from the outside using the operating lever or, in the example, the external operating lever 4 via the handle 8. This corresponds to a "Crash Unlock" functional sequence, which is expressly desired.

[0045] Typically, and during the operation of a motor vehicle, the illustrated motor vehicle lock or motor vehicle door lock assumes its "secured" or "locked" position. This locking can now be removed either specifically using, for example, the control unit 10 or by, for example, removing the electrical power supply of the electromagnet unit.

[0046] 6 is interrupted as described. In both cases, the safety lever

[0047] 5 from its “secured” or “locked” position to the unlocked or unlocked position with the consequences described.

[0048] List of reference symbols

[0049] Lock 1

[0050] Operating lever chain 2, 3, 4, 5

[0051] Clutch lever 3

[0052] Operating lever 4

[0053] Rotation axis 4a

[0054] Safety lever 5

[0055] Driving contour 5a

[0056] Electromagnet unit 6

[0057] Magnetic field sensor 7

[0058] Handle 8

[0059] Interaction area 9

[0060] Control unit 10

[0061] Spring 11

[0062] Coil spring 11

Claims

Patent claims 1. Motor vehicle lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock, with an operating lever chain (2, 3, 4, 5) with at least one safety lever (5) and one operating lever (4), and with an electromagnet unit (6) which selectively holds and releases the safety lever (5), characterized in that a sensor (7) is provided which checks the electromagnet unit (6).

2. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor (7) is designed as a magnetic field sensor (7), for example a Hall sensor.

3. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sensor (7) is arranged in an interaction area (9) of the safety lever (5) with the electromagnet unit (6).

4. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the sensor (7) is designed both to detect the switching state of the electromagnet unit (6) and to measure the magnetic field and is thus capable of diagnosis.

5. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the operating lever chain (2, 3, 4, 5) additionally has a coupling lever (3) interacting with the safety lever (5).

6. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling lever (3) is rotatably mounted on the actuating lever (4).

7. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the securing lever (5) has a driving contour (5a) that acts on the coupling lever (3).

8. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the securing lever (5) and the actuating lever (4) are elastically coupled to one another.

9. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the coupling lever (3) is arranged in accordance with the The electromagnet unit (6) acting on the safety lever (5) is engaged / disengaged.

10. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the securing lever (5) is designed as a locking lever.

Images