Motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, which is formed with a locking mechanism made up substantially of a rotary latch (1) and a pawl (2). Moreover, an electromotive drive (3, 4) for a securing unit (5) is provided. Also provided is a coupling lever (5) as a constituent part of the securing unit (5). The drive (3, 4) operates by means of a pushing element (6), which can be displaced at least linearly in the pushing direction (S), on the coupling lever (5) to assume the "secured / released" positions of the securing unit (5). According to the invention, in order to act on the coupling lever (5), the pushing element (6) moves against a curved edge (5a) of the coupling lever (5) that plunges increasingly in the pushing direction (S).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Motor vehicle lock, especially motor vehicle door lock

[0003] The invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle door lock, with a locking mechanism consisting essentially of a rotary latch and a pawl, furthermore with an electric motor drive for a security unit, and with a coupling lever as a component of the security unit, wherein the drive works with the aid of a pushing element which can be moved at least linearly in the pushing direction on the coupling lever to assume the "secured / unsecured" positions of the security unit.

[0004] The "secured" position of the security unit generally corresponds to the "disengaged" position of the clutch lever. In this case, an operating lever chain for actuating the clutch lever is mechanically interrupted, so that, starting from, for example, a main locking position, the pawl cannot be lifted from its locking engagement with the rotary latch. If, on the other hand, the security unit assumes its "unlocked" position, this includes the "engaged" state of the clutch lever. In this case, the operating lever chain is mechanically closed, and the pawl can be lifted from its engagement with the rotary latch by actuating, for example, an inside or outside door handle via the engaged clutch lever and a release lever.

[0005] The security unit can, for example, be designed as a locking unit. In this case, the operating lever chain is usually an external operating lever chain that can be moved to its "unlocked / locked" positions accordingly. This allows the associated exterior door handle to be able or unable to open the locking mechanism. Generally, however, the security unit can also be a child safety lock or an anti-theft device.

[0006] Of course, combinations are also conceivable.

[0007] In the case of a child safety lock, the motor vehicle lock in question is typically installed on rear side doors and, with an interior operating lever chain, provides the functional positions "child-locked / child-unlocked." In the case of an anti-theft device, the locking device is implemented on both an interior operating lever chain and an exterior operating lever chain, thus enabling the functional positions "anti-theft / anti-theft unlocked."

[0008] The generic prior art according to DE 10 2013 019 938 A1 involves the clutch lever acting on the locking unit or security unit and being actuated by the electric motor drive against the force of a spring. For this purpose, the locking unit has a control contour, with the clutch lever interacting with the control contour. This is intended to ensure robust and reliable operation and secure engagement of the individual security positions of the motor vehicle lock.

[0009] The state of the art has proven itself in principle, but still offers room for improvement. The known design requires not only a reliable electric motor drive and, consequently, a correspondingly designed electric motor. The electric motor in question must also have sufficient power to realize and implement the individual functional positions. This is associated with the general disadvantage that such powerful electric motors are not only expensive but also result in increased weight for a vehicle lock equipped with them.

[0010] Accordingly, the present invention is based on the technical problem of further developing such a motor vehicle lock, and in particular a motor vehicle door lock, so that it can operate with a weaker electric motor drive compared to the prior art. This should also ensure reliable functionality even if the electric motor drive shows signs of aging, for example.

[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 the pushing element for acting on the clutch lever moves against a curved edge of the clutch lever which increasingly dips in the pushing direction.

[0012] The design is usually such that the curved edge has an increasing radius in the thrust direction. Furthermore, the design is usually such that the clutch lever is rotatably connected to an actuating lever. Of particular importance in this context is that the clutch lever, actuated by the actuating lever, advantageously engages progressively in the thrust direction along its actuating path, thanks to a contour.

[0013] Within the scope of the invention, the first step is to move the thrust element (linearly) in the thrust direction in order to actuate the coupling lever. During this process, the safety unit typically transitions from its "unlocked" position to the "locked" functional position. Correspondingly, the coupling lever, which was initially engaged in the "unlocked" functional position of the safety unit, is disengaged using the thrust element. As a result, the safety unit also transitions to its "locked" functional position.

[0014] To move the clutch lever from its initially engaged position to the disengaged position, the electric motor drive is moved in the thrust direction. The thrust direction corresponds to a linear movement of the thrust element. The linear movement of the thrust element therefore determines the thrust direction. To move the clutch lever from its engaged position to the disengaged position, the thrust element moves against the curved edge of the clutch lever, which increasingly dips in the thrust direction.Furthermore, since the curved edge has an increasing radius in the thrust direction, the electric motor drive can be operated at high speed according to the invention and at the beginning of its travel along the thrust direction. The thrust element then increasingly encounters the curved edge of the clutch lever, which dips into the thrust direction, so that the clutch lever is thereby transferred from its previously assumed "engaged" position to the "disengaged" position. In general, the procedure and movement can also be reversed.

[0015] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the clutch lever acted upon by the actuating lever is now provided with the aid of the (stationary) contour to progressively plunge into the thrust direction along its actuating path. The invention is based on the finding that, in order to actuate the clutch lever, the clutch lever is first rotatably connected to the actuating lever. The actuating lever can generally be an internal actuating lever or an external actuating lever.

[0016] In order to open the locking mechanism with the clutch lever engaged, the actuating lever must be actuated. As a result, the actuating lever, when actuated, acts on the clutch lever, which is rotatably connected to it, which in turn usually moves against the stop edge of a release lever that opens the locking mechanism. During this process and along its actuation path, the clutch lever is guided by the contour. The contour ensures that the clutch lever, starting from the undeflected state of the actuating lever, increasingly plunges into the thrust direction.

[0017] In this way, the clutch lever is spaced apart from the thrust element at the beginning of its actuation travel. In fact, the thrust element usually has a (front-facing) rectangular contour that interacts with the curved edge of the clutch lever. This means that at the beginning of the clutch lever's actuation travel, the curved edge is spaced apart from the rectangular contour of the thrust element in question.

[0018] However, as soon as the clutch lever is acted upon by the actuating lever, the clutch lever moves along its actuating path with the aid of the contour and the contour as a whole ensures that the clutch lever with its curved edge increasingly dips into the thrust direction, i.e. is moved towards the rectangular contour of the thrust element - at least in projection.

[0019] This means that - as already explained - the clutch lever, at the beginning of its actuation travel, has a distance from the rectangular contour of the thrust element that is predetermined by the contour. Due to this distance, the electric motor drive for actuating the thrust element can operate at high speed at the beginning of the thrust element's travel along the thrust direction and, as it were, gain "momentum" because the rectangular contour on the thrust element initially does not move against the curved edge of the clutch element. Only when a certain amount of the thrust element's travel in the thrust direction has been completed does the rectangular contour, usually provided on the front of the thrust element, reach the curved edge.Furthermore, since the curved edge increasingly dips into the thrust direction, the front rectangular contour of the thrust element moves tangentially against the curved edge, thus ensuring that the clutch lever is pivoted relative to the actuating lever. As a result, the clutch lever transitions from its generally assumed "engaged" state to its "disengaged" state. As soon as the actuating lever, with the clutch lever rotatably connected to it, is actuated, the disengaged clutch lever moves past the stop edge of the release lever, and consequently, the locking mechanism cannot be actuated because the clutch lever has a free travel relative to the release lever and, consequently, also to the locking mechanism.

[0020] Consequently, the design of the curved edge of the clutch lever, which increasingly dips into the direction of thrust, and the overall contour that guides the clutch lever along its actuation path, ensure that the electric motor drive can initially gain momentum because the rectangular contour does not immediately meet the curved edge for adjusting the clutch lever. In conjunction with the curved edge of the clutch lever, which increasingly dips into the direction of thrust and is also equipped with a growing radius in the direction of thrust, this results in particularly energy-saving application of the clutch lever, in particular to transfer it from its engaged position to the disengaged position. As a result, the electric motor drive can be designed to be significantly less powerful than the state of the art, or can even be retrofitted with a new one.The invention opens up the possibility that the electric motor drive is still able to reliably move to the “secured / unsecured” positions of the safety unit even in the event of any malfunctions or decreasing performance due to aging effects.

[0021] In contrast, changing the clutch lever from its “disengaged” to “engaged” position can be achieved with even less force because there is usually a spring between the operating lever and the clutch lever which preloads the clutch lever towards its “engaged” position, so that the clutch lever’s assumption of the “engaged” position is supported by the force of this spring. This is where the main advantages can be seen. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the design is usually such that the curved edge of the clutch lever extends perpendicular to its main plane. In addition, the operating lever and the clutch lever with their respective main planes span a common operating plane. The operating lever is rotatably mounted in the operating plane in question. This means thatThe clutch lever and the operating lever have a largely identical main plane, which defines the common operating plane. This allows both the operating lever and the clutch lever to pivot within the respective operating plane.

[0022] The thrust element is generally equipped with a toothed segment for engaging a drive gear. For this purpose, the drive gear may be located on a drive output shaft. In principle, one or more gear wheels can also be implemented at this location. However, the electric motor drive is usually equipped only with an electric motor and the gear in question on its output shaft, with the gear engaging the toothed segment of the thrust element. For this purpose, the toothed segment in question on the thrust element usually extends in a straight line, because the thrust element is moved linearly along its thrust direction with the aid of the electric motor drive.

[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 shows the motor vehicle lock according to the invention in the form of a motor vehicle door lock in a perspective view,

[0025] Fig. 2 shows the motor vehicle lock according to Fig. 1 in the functional position “unlocked” of the security unit and with the clutch lever engaged and Fig. 3 shows the object according to Fig. 2 with the security unit in its functional state “secured” and with the clutch lever disengaged.

[0026] The figures depict a motor vehicle lock, which is a motor vehicle door lock. The motor vehicle lock has a locking mechanism 1, 2, only indicated in Fig. 1, consisting essentially of a rotary latch 1 and a pawl 2. Furthermore, and essentially, an electric motor drive 3, 4 for a security unit 5 can be seen. Furthermore, a clutch lever 5 is implemented as a component of the security unit 5. According to the exemplary embodiment, the clutch lever 5 and the security unit 5 coincide, which, of course, is only exemplary and in no way restrictive.

[0027] The electric motor drive 3, 4 operates on the coupling lever 5 with the aid of a pushing element 6 which can be moved at least linearly in a pushing direction S. In this way, the “locked / unlocked” positions of the safety unit 5 can be assumed.

[0028] In Fig. 2, the safety unit 5 is in the "unlocked" functional position. Consequently, the clutch lever 5 is "engaged." However, if the safety unit 5 assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, the safety unit 5 is in its "locked" position. Consequently, the clutch lever 5 is "disengaged."

[0029] According to the invention, the design is such that, in order to change the functional position of the safety unit 5, the thrust element 6 for acting on the clutch lever 5 moves against a curved edge 5a of the clutch lever 5 that increasingly dips in the thrust direction S. The enlarged section in Fig. 2 shows that the curved edge 5a on the clutch lever 5 has an increasing radius Ri, R2 in the thrust direction S. In fact, the radius of the curved edge 5a increases from an initial value Ri to a final value R2 along the thrust direction S.

[0030] The thrust element 6 is equipped on the front with a rectangular contour 6a, which interacts with the curved edge 5a of the clutch lever 5. In fact, the overall design is such that the rectangular contour 6a moves with an edge 6ai in the thrust direction S against the curved edge 5a of the clutch lever 5 as soon as the thrust element 6 is moved in the thrust direction S by means of the electric motor drive 3, 4. In contrast, the other additional edge 6a2 of the front rectangular contour 6a of the thrust element 6 ensures that the curved edge 5a is guided at the edge.

[0031] In fact, the design is such that the curved edge 5a of the clutch lever 5 extends perpendicular to the main plane of the clutch lever 5. The main plane of the clutch lever 5 coincides with the plane of the drawing. Furthermore, the design is such that the clutch lever 5 is rotatably connected to an actuating lever 7. According to the exemplary embodiment, the actuating lever 7 is, and not limited to, an internal actuating lever. The actuating lever 7 is also equipped with a main plane, which, according to the exemplary embodiment, coincides with the plane of the drawing. In this way, the actuating lever 7 and the clutch lever 5, with their respective main planes, span a common actuating plane that coincides with the plane of the drawing.

[0032] The result is that a pivoting movement of the actuating lever 7 about its axis 8 in the clockwise direction indicated in Fig. 2 results in the clutch lever 5, which is rotatably connected to the actuating lever 7 via a further axis 9, being moved downwards. If the clutch lever 5 is in its "engaged" state shown in Fig. 2, the downward movement of the clutch lever 5 results in the clutch lever 5, in the engaged state and with the actuating lever 7 acted upon, moving against a stop edge 10a of a release lever 10. This results in the release lever 10 performing a counterclockwise rotation in its front view, as indicated in Fig. 2.

[0033] This counterclockwise rotation of the release lever 10 results in the release lever 10 being able to act on a pin 2a of the locking pawl 2, as shown in Figure 1, so that the locking pawl 2 is released from its locking engagement with the rotary latch 1. The locking mechanism 1, 2 is opened, and a previously trapped locking bolt is released. The corresponding motor vehicle door can be opened.

[0034] The previously described downward movement of the clutch lever 5 upon actuation of the actuating lever 7 now occurs along a contour 11, which can be seen in the enlarged view of Fig. 2 and which is fixedly provided in a housing (made of plastic). In fact, the clutch lever 5 is equipped with a front-facing pin 5b, which is moved along the contour 11 when the clutch lever 5 performs the downward actuating path.

[0035] The design is such that the clutch lever 5, acted upon by the actuating lever 7, increasingly dips into the thrust direction S along its actuating path with the aid of the contour 11 in question, and ultimately and essentially with the curved edge 5a. This has the consequence that the curved edge 5a of the clutch lever 5, at the beginning of the actuating path, as shown in solid lines in the enlarged illustration in Fig. 2, is spaced from the rectangular contour 6a at the front of the thrust element 6. With increasing actuating path, however, the clutch lever 5 and consequently also the curved edge 5a dip more and more into the thrust direction S. This is shown in dash-dotted lines in the section in question.In this way, the design within the scope of the invention is such that the coupling lever 5, in the initial position, is arranged with the curved edge 5a spaced from the rectangular contour 6a of the thrust element 6, as shown in Figure 2. In fact, a distance A is established at this point.

[0036] This distance A means that to actuate the clutch lever

[0037] 5 with the help of the thrust element 6, the electric motor drive 3, 4 initially performs a kind of "freewheel" and can thus gain "momentum". In fact, the design is such that the electric motor drive or an electric motor 3 implemented at this point is equipped with a pinion 4 on its output shaft, which engages in a toothed segment 6b of the thrust element 6. The toothed segment 6b runs linearly, so that the thrust element

[0038] 6 is moved linearly by means of the electric motor drive 3, 4, namely along the thrust direction S, in order to transfer the coupling element 5 from its “engaged” state shown in Figure 2 to the “disengaged” state shown in Figure 3.

[0039] Due to the previously described distance A of the curved edge 5a in the undeflected state of the coupling lever 5 and at the beginning of the travel path of the thrust element 6, the thrust element 6 initially completes a certain travel path in the thrust direction S until the rectangular contour 6a comes into contact with the curved edge 5a of the coupling lever 5. This allows the electric motor drive 3, 4 to start up at a relatively high speed at the beginning of its travel movement and only then ensures the adjusting movement on the coupling lever 5. Since, in addition, the curved edge 5a increasingly dips into the thrust direction S of the thrust element 6 and is equipped with the growing radius Ri, R2, the front rectangular contour 6a of the thrust element 6 moves tangentially along the curved edge 5a of the coupling element 5. In this way, the coupling element 5 is, during the transition from Fig. 2 to Fig.3 is pivoted clockwise around its axis 9 increasingly and "gently" and with relatively little force. The pivoting movement of the coupling element 5 occurs against the force of a spring 11, which preloads the coupling lever 5 in the direction of its "engaged" position shown in Fig. 2. As soon as the thrust element 6 has completed its entire travel in the thrust direction S, the functional position of the coupling lever 5 "disengaged" in Fig. 3 is reached.

[0040] If, in this functional position according to Fig. 3, the operating lever 7 is pivoted clockwise about its axis 8, this again causes the coupling lever 5 to follow the operating lever 7. However, the rectangular contour 6a on the front of the sliding element 6 ensures that during this process the curved edge 5a of the coupling lever 5 no longer moves against the stop edge 10a of the release lever 10 and can no longer move against it. As a result, the coupling lever 5 and with it the release lever 7 perform an idle movement relative to the release lever 10 and consequently also to the locking mechanism 1, 2. The locking mechanism 1, 2 therefore remains in its engaged state or its main closed state and cannot be opened. This includes the functional position of the safety unit 5 "secured".

[0041] List of reference symbols

[0042] Locking mechanism 1, 2 Rotary latch 1 Pawl 2 Drive 3, 4 Safety unit 5 Coupling lever 5 Curved edge 5a Pin 5b Thrust element 6 Rectangular contour 6a Toothed segment 6b Operating lever 7 Axis 8 Axis 9 Release lever 10 Stop edge 10a Contour 11

[0043] Thrust direction S

Claims

Patent claims 1. Motor vehicle lock, in particular motor vehicle door lock, with a locking mechanism (1, 2) essentially consisting of a rotary latch (1) and a pawl (2), furthermore with an electric motor drive (3, 4) for a security unit (5), and with a coupling lever (5) as a component of the security unit (5), wherein the drive (3, 4) works with the aid of a pushing element (6) which is movable at least linearly in the pushing direction (S) on the coupling lever (5) in order to assume the "secured / unsecured" positions of the security unit (5), characterized in that the pushing element (6) moves against a curved edge (5a) of the coupling lever (5) which increasingly dips in the pushing direction (S) in order to act on the coupling lever (5).

2. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the curved edge (5a) has an increasing radius (Ri, 2) in the pushing direction (S).

3. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sliding element (6) has a rectangular contour (6a) which interacts with the curved edge (5a).

4. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the curved edge (5a) of the coupling lever (5) extends perpendicular to its main plane.

5. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the coupling lever (5) is rotatably connected to an actuating lever (7).

6. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 5, characterized in that the coupling lever (5) acted upon by the actuating lever (7) is increasingly immersed in the thrust direction (S) along its actuating path with the aid of a contour (11).

7. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the actuating lever (7) and the coupling lever (5) with their respective main planes span a common actuating plane.

8. Motor vehicle lock according to claim 7, characterized in that the actuating lever (7) is rotatably mounted in the actuating plane.

9. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the thrust element (6) has a toothed segment (6b) for engagement with a gear wheel (4) of the electric motor drive (3, 4).

10. Motor vehicle lock according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the coupling lever (5) in the engaged state and with the actuating lever (7) acted upon moves against a stop edge (10a) of a release lever (10) opening the locking mechanism and moves past the stop edge (10a) in the disengaged state.

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