Car Locks

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lock for a motor vehicle (1, 21), in particular a side door lock for a motor vehicle, comprising a locking mechanism having a rotating latch and at least one pawl, an electric drive unit (7, 9, 11, 12) for unblocking the locking mechanism and a lock housing (3, 35, 36) with a wet chamber and a dry chamber, in which the rotating latch can be blocked in at least one catch position by the pawl, the locking mechanism is arranged in the wet chamber, the drive unit (7, 9, 11, 12) is arranged in the dry chamber (2, 33), and at least one mechanical connection (4, 37, 40) is arranged on the lock housing (3, 35, 36) and protrudes into the dry chamber (2, 33) and can activate a mechanism (6, 29) arranged in the dry chamber (2, 33).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle lock, in particular a motor vehicle side door lock, comprising a locking mechanism having a rotating latch and at least one pawl, the rotating latch being capable of being locked into at least one catch position by means of a lock housing having the pawl, an electric drive unit for unlocking the locking mechanism, and a wet chamber and a dry chamber, the locking mechanism being disposed in the wet chamber and the drive unit being disposed in the dry chamber.

[0002] In modern automobile locking systems, locking mechanisms are mainly installed in which a rotating latch and a claw engage with each other, thus allowing the fixing of components movably mounted on the automobile. Depending on the location in the automobile, single-catch or double-catch locking mechanisms are used. While it is more common to use a single-catch locking mechanism on the cover or trunk lid, vehicle manufacturers are legally required to equip, for example, the side door with a double-catch locking mechanism. In the first catch, i.e., the first catch position, also called pre-catch, the side door is loosely held, and in the second catch, i.e., the second downstream catch position, also called main catch, the side door is in a fully closed operating position.

[0003]

[0003] In order to further increase the comfort of motor vehicles, more and more electric assistance functions are used in locking systems. For this purpose, an electric motor is, for example, installed in the locking system and then allows, for example, an electrical unlocking of the locking mechanism. The electric motor interacts with a gear mechanism, which indirectly or directly initiates the unlocking of the locking mechanism. Such an electric drive unit is known from DE 10 2019 109 488.7.

[0004]

[0004] In the locking system, at least the rotating latch directly engages with a locking pin or a locking holder. The rotating latch and the locking holder interact in such a way that the rotating latch can pivot around the locking holder and blocks the rotating latch by a claw. The rotating latch is therefore exposed to environmental influences and may come into contact with, for example, water from rain and / or dust from wind. To protect the other components of the car lock from environmental influences, it is known to subdivide the car lock into wet and dry chambers or wet and dry areas. Both terms are used as synonyms.

[0005] DE 20 2012 103 608 U1 discloses a car lock in which the rotating latch is arranged in a wet area, in this case called the "outside" of the housing, and the claw is arranged in a dry area of ​​the car lock, in this case called the "inside" of the housing, where only a part of the claw projects through an open slot in the lock housing, the width of which corresponds to the material thickness of the claw. The catch arm of the claw is therefore the part of the claw which projects into the wet area of ​​the car lock in order to engage with the rotating latch.

[0006] DE 10 2020 118 721.1 describes an improvement of the aforementioned prior art in that an open slot between the rotary latch and the claw or between the locking mechanism and the unlocking mechanism can be omitted. This document discloses an actuating lever and an unlocking of the locking mechanism, the actuating lever extending from the dry area towards the wet area. The actuating lever is pivotably accommodated on the one hand in a passage opening and on the other hand in a lock housing. The dry area and the wet area are separated by a housing wall, the actuating lever penetrates the passage opening. A seal is arranged in the area of ​​the passage opening, accommodated in the unlocking lever and seals the dry area against the housing wall by means of a sealing lip. Since a torque can be transmitted in a sealed manner from the dry area to the wet area, it is now possible to arrange the drive unit in the dry area.

[0007]

[0007] The above known solutions have proven successful in principle. Due to the increased motorization of the locking system and the relocation of the drive unit to a dry area, it is also necessary to have mechanical access to the drive unit located in the dry area. This is where the present invention begins. Summary of the Invention

[0008]

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved locking system. It is also an object of the present invention to increase the security in highly electrified locking systems and to make it possible to influence the drive unit in dry areas.

[0009]

[0009] According to the invention, the object is achieved by means of the features of independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments described below are not limiting, rather any variant of the features described and described in the dependent claims is possible.

[0010] According to claim 1, the object of the invention is achieved by providing a lock for a motor vehicle, in particular a lock for a motor vehicle side door, which comprises a locking mechanism having a rotary latch and at least one claw, an electric drive unit for unblocking the locking mechanism, and a lock housing with a wet chamber and a dry chamber, whereby the locking mechanism is arranged in the wet chamber, the drive unit is arranged in the dry chamber, and at least one mechanical connection is arranged on the lock housing and protrudes into the dry chamber for actuating the mechanism arranged in the dry chamber. The design of the motor vehicle lock according to the invention provides the possibility of increasing the safety of the motor vehicle and thus of increasing the comfort of the operator. Due to the possibility of influencing the mechanical connection and the mechanism, the safety-related functions of the motor vehicle lock can be actuated manually. If the entire electromechanical drive for unblocking the locking mechanism is arranged in the dry chamber of the housing of the motor vehicle lock, it is necessary for the electromechanical drive to function at any time and in any circumstances in order to unblock the locking mechanism. This can be problematic, for example, when environmental influences such as strong frost and / or dirt on the locking mechanism itself and / or damage to the motor vehicle prevent the locking mechanism from being unblocked. In this case, the electromechanical drive may not be sufficient to initiate the unblocking of the locking mechanism. The design and the mechanical connection according to the invention make it possible to influence the mechanism in a dry area. In this case, other functions such as anti-theft devices, child safety locks or locking devices may also be influenced, and other influencing possibilities can be mentioned as examples. By moving the mechanical connection into the dry chamber of the housing for the car lock, further advantages are obtained, which are explained in more detail below.

[0011] The lock housing is used to separate the wet chamber and the dry chamber, and the lock housing can hold or contain electrical and / or electronic components on the one hand and can be used to contain further components of the vehicle lock at the same time. The lock housing mainly consists of a housing part and a housing cover. Of course, the housing can also consist of several parts, and can also consist of two, three or more housing parts. In order to realize the concept of the invention, it is important that at least a part of the functional mechanism of the vehicle lock is arranged in the dry chamber of the lock housing. The functional mechanism can relate to, but is not limited to, an unlocking mechanism, a locking device, an anti-theft device, a child safety lock, a closing aid device, and / or similar functional devices in the vehicle lock. In the present invention, it is essential that a mechanical connection to the lock housing is made, i.e. that the mechanism arranged in the dry area can be operated by mechanically engaging with the dry area. It is preferable that an electric motor, a control device, a circuit board, and / or further electrical or electronic components are arranged in the dry chamber.

[0012]

[0012] The motor vehicle lock according to the invention is understood to include locks such as those used for side doors, hatches, covers or sliding doors, i.e. components movably fixed to the motor vehicle which must be fixed in the locked position to allow safe use of the motor vehicle. However, the motor vehicle lock according to the invention preferably relates to a motor vehicle side door lock.

[0013]

[0013] The locking mechanism can be designed as a single-catch or double-catch locking mechanism. Due to recent developments, locking mechanisms with rolling locking mechanism parts, such as rotatable catch elements, are also known. In the case of a single-catch locking mechanism, there is only one catch position in which the claw holds the rotary latch. In the case of a double-catch locking mechanism, in addition to the main catch position, there is also a pre-catch position, so that the rotary latch and the claw can interact in two catch positions. In this case, a release lever interacts with the locking mechanism to release the captured locking mechanism from the engagement area with the rotary latch. It is also known to use several claws. For example, when the opening torque of the locking mechanism occurs in the main catch position, the claw can be held via another claw. This other claw is called a catch lever or a blocking lever.

[0014]

[0014] The electric drive unit preferably consists of a DC motor, the output shaft of which is fitted with a gear wheel which interacts with another gear wheel to initiate the movement of the car lock. It is conceivable that the gear wheel fixed to the electric motor directly engages with the actuating lever, but it is preferred that at least one gear stage is arranged between the drive gear wheel and the actuating lever. The gear stage used is preferably a worm gear stage. The actuating lever can also directly interact with the release lever or be formed integrally as the release lever.

[0015]

[0015] In one variant of the invention, the locking mechanism can be unblocked by a mechanical connection. The mechanical connection can be designed in such a way that the release lever can be actuated directly or indirectly. In this way, it is possible to unblock the locking mechanism independently of the electric drive unit by means of the mechanical connection. This provides the advantage that the release of the locking mechanism can be ensured even in extreme situations. For example, extreme situations can occur in which the locking mechanism freezes. In this case, the electric drive unit is not able to unblock the locking mechanism, so that an additional locking function can be provided by the mechanical connection. The mechanical drive unit can act directly on the claw, be connected to the release lever or act indirectly on the release lever.

[0016]

[0016] In a further advantageous variant of the invention, the anti-theft device is arranged in a dry area, which occurs when the anti-theft device can be activated by a mechanical connection. An anti-theft device is present when the internal actuation means are additionally disabled in the locked lock system or the motor vehicle lock. The anti-theft device prevents the internal actuation lever from being unlocked when the internal actuation lever or the internal door handle is actuated. By arranging the anti-theft device in the dry chamber of the motor vehicle lock housing, it is possible to use other components of the anti-theft mechanism of the motor vehicle lock, which are outside the area subject to environmental influences. Here, it is advantageous if the anti-theft device can be electrically activated. In addition to the electric drive unit for unblocking the lock mechanism, the electrically actuable anti-theft device serves to disable the release mechanism of the lock mechanism. Due to the advantageous arrangement of a separate electric drive for actuating the anti-theft device, the electric motor can also be in direct contact with, for example, a circuit board arranged in the dry chamber. Electrical or electronic components in the dry chamber can be in direct contact with the electric motor arranged in the dry chamber, and there is no need to protect the electrical contact points from environmental influences. For example, it is known that to protect electrical contacts on a microswitch, the contacts are potted to prevent corrosion in the area of ​​the contacts. Such complex contact protection can be made unnecessary by placing the electric motor in a dry chamber.

[0017]

[0017] In a preferred variant of the invention, the mechanical connection is formed by a Bowden cable. For example, a mechanical exterior door handle or an actuating socket in the exterior door handle can be connected to the vehicle lock by means of a Bowden cable. The Bowden cable can thus directly access and actuate the mechanical functional device in the dry chamber. For example, it is conceivable to fasten the Bowden cable to a release lever and to unblock the locking mechanism by means of the Bowden cable. Of course, it is also possible to connect the Bowden cable to an internal actuating lever, so that the locking mechanism can be mechanically locked by the internal door handle.

[0018]

[0018] An advantageous variant of the invention can be achieved if the Bowden cable, in particular the Bowden cable sheath, is arranged in a sealed manner on the locking housing. The Bowden cable sheath surrounds the Bowden cable core and allows for guiding the Bowden cable core, for example from the interior operating door handle towards the locking housing. Depending on the position of the Bowden cable in the motor vehicle, the Bowden cable may be arranged in a moist area of ​​the motor vehicle. A sealed connection between the Bowden cable and the motor vehicle locking housing, in particular the dry chamber, can ensure that the dry chamber is still protected. By connecting the Bowden cable sheath to the locking housing, a sealing of the Bowden cable core can be omitted in this case. The Bowden cable sheath is open in the direction of the dry chamber so that the influences of the environment can continue to be ignored. A separate sealing of the Bowden cable core is therefore not necessary. This is advantageous, since corrosion and / or contamination of the Bowden cable can occur as a result of moisture entering the Bowden cable sheath, which can prevent and / or completely limit the smooth movement of the Bowden cable core.

[0019]

[0019] Here, it is also advantageous if the locking housing is designed as a bearing point on the Bowden cable connection. The connection of the Bowden cable to the vehicle locking housing, in particular the connection of the vehicle locking housing to the dry chamber, can thus perform a double function: on the one hand, a sealed connection can be established in the area of ​​the connection, and on the other hand, the connection can serve as a bearing point for the Bowden cable sheath. The bearing point or fixed connection of the Bowden cable sheath to the locking housing then makes it possible to transmit forces to the dry chamber via the Bowden cable core.

[0020]

[0020] If at least one further mechanical connection is arranged on the locking housing, which further mechanical connection projects into the wet chamber, the mechanism arranged in the wet chamber can be actuated. Thus, a part of the locking mechanism can be arranged in the wet chamber, and components of the locking mechanism can likewise be arranged in the dry chamber. In particular, components that should be protected from environmental influences, e.g. electric motor, electric wires and / or components, can be protected from environmental influences. The actuating lever is advantageously actuated via the locking housing, and a sealed connection from the dry chamber to the wet chamber has proven to be advantageous. By transmitting the torque for unlocking the locking mechanism via a passage opening in the locking housing, it is possible to reliably protect the dry chamber from encroaching environmental influences. The locking mechanism and, for example, the closing drive can act on the locking mechanism via a separate Bowden cable.

[0021]

[0021] The further mechanical connection may be a Bowden cable. It is also conceivable to arrange two or more Bowden cables in the lock housing and connect them to the dry chamber or to the wet chamber depending on the position of the mechanism in the vehicle lock. In particular, the mechanisms in the vehicle lock related to the dry chamber and / or electrically operated functional units can be used to ensure protection against environmental influences. In this case, the mechanisms or electrical mechanisms describing the functions of the lock, such as locking, unlocking, child safety locking, anti-theft fixing, closing, interrogation, etc., are called functional units or mechanical functions in the vehicle lock.

[0022]

[0022] The design of the car lock according to the invention allows the mechanical engagement of the car lock in the dry chamber. The relocation of a function, for example that of an anti-theft device, in the dry chamber offers the advantage that an electrical connection can be established without additional fastening means and that the mechanism located in the dry chamber is not subject to any environmental influences. Furthermore, the sealed bearing and connection of the Bowden cable to the lock housing are also simplified, which has a positive effect on the overall cost of the car lock.

[0023]

[0023] The present invention will be described in more detail below based on the embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. However, the principle that the exemplary embodiments are not limiting the present invention, but are merely advantageous embodiments of the present invention, is applied. The features shown can be implemented individually or in combination with further features of the description and claims, individually or in combination. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional plan view of an automobile lock designed in accordance with the present invention, without a housing cover, and with a Bowden cable located within a dry chamber. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a top view of another embodiment of a car lock without a cover for the housing and with an integrated anti-theft device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows a three-dimensional view of the closed motor vehicle lock according to FIG.

[0025] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0026] 1 shows a car lock 1 without the cover for the lock housing in a plan view, where the dry chamber 2 is shown and only the components of the car lock 1 essential for explaining the invention are shown. A Bowden cable 4 is connected to the car lock housing 3, which is connected by a Bowden cable core 5 to a lever 6 pivotally mounted on the car lock housing. The lever 6 can be, for example, an external or internal actuating lever. The lever 6 acts on an actuating lever 7, the latter being movable counterclockwise by a clockwise pivoting of the lever 6. The actuating lever 7 is accommodated in the car lock 1 so as to be pivotable about an axis 8. The actuating lever 7 can actuate a release lever, which is arranged, for example, in a wet chamber (not shown). Also shown is an electric motor 9 which drives a worm gear wheel 11 via a worm 10. A control profile is arranged on the worm gear wheel 11, which allows the actuating lever 7 to be pivoted counterclockwise. The actuating lever 7 can rest in a spring-suspended state against the control profile 12 .

[0027] The car lock housing 3 is surrounded on at least both sides by a locking plate 13, to which at least the locking mechanism is usually attached. In addition, the locking plate 13 may have an extension which forms a bearing point for the Bowden cable 4 in the car lock 1.

[0028]

[0027] Further electrical and electronic components and circuit boards can be installed inside the car lock, in particular in the dry chamber 2. For example, a microswitch can be arranged on the circuit board and can query the position of the lever 6, the actuating lever 7, the worm gear wheel and / or the control profile 12. Of course, this list is not limiting. Rather, further components having further functions of the car lock 1 and / or designed as electrical components can be arranged in the dry chamber 2.

[0029] The Bowden cable 4 has a Bowden cable sheath 14 and is hermetically housed in the housing 3 for the car lock. A plastic sleeve 15 can seal the Bowden cable 4, in particular the Bowden cable core 5, against environmental influences. The housing 3 for the car lock also has a bearing point for the Bowden cable 4 and can provide an abutment for actuating the Bowden cable core 5. By actuating the Bowden cable 4 or the Bowden cable core 5, the lever 6 is pivoted clockwise about its axis 17, so that an entrainment 18 on the lever 6 engages with the actuating lever 7 and the locking mechanism can be unblocked. To unlock the locking mechanism, the electric motor 9 can also be actuated, whereby the actuating lever 7 is again pivoted counterclockwise via the worm 10 and worm wheel 11 and the control profile 12 to unlock the locking mechanism.

[0030]

[0029] The electric motor 9 has electrical contacts 19, 20 to which power can be supplied, for example, by a circuit board. Since the electric motor itself and the contacts 19, 20 are located in the dry chamber 2, there is no need to protect the electrical contacts 19, 20 separately.

[0031]

[0030] Figure 2 shows another embodiment of the car lock 21. Identical components are provided with the same reference numbers. The car lock 21 also has an anti-theft device 22. A worm 24 is actuated by an electric motor 23, which meshes with a worm wheel segment 25, by means of which an adjusting lever can be displaced and the anti-theft device 22 can be engaged. For this purpose, the adjusting lever 26 is guided linearly in an opening 27, the separated state of which is shown in Figure 2. The adjusting lever 26 acts as a coupling element, a cylindrical extension 28 on the adjusting lever 26 produces a coupling to the lever 29, so that the lever 29 can engage the cylindrical extension 28 and thus pivot the drive 30. The drive is arranged on a separate lever pivotally mounted in the car lock housing 3 and can be actuated by the lever and the cylindrical extension 28. Thus, pulling on the Bowden cable 4 or the Bowden cable core 5 causes the lever 29 to pivot and, when the anti-theft device 22 is disengaged, the drive 30 can be actuated to pivot the actuating lever 7 counterclockwise.

[0032]

[0031] The advantage of the design of the motor vehicle lock 21 according to the invention is now shown, namely that the electrical contacts 31, 32 of the electric motor 23 can be arranged in a dry chamber 33, whereby the electrical contacts 31, 32 and / or further microswitches and / or further control or supply lines are also protected from the effects of weather.

[0033]

[0032] In FIG. 2, further bearing points are also provided for accommodating further Bowden cables, which, for example, allow the actuation of a locking mechanism in the dry chamber 3.

[0034]

[0033] Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional view of the completed car lock 21. The car lock housing 35 and the lock housing cover 36, which seals the dry chamber 33, are shown. A first Bowden cable 4 serves to actuate the internal actuating lever 29, and a further Bowden cable 37 serves to actuate the locking device. The Bowden cables 4, 37 are connected to the car lock housing by plastic sleeves 15, 38, which allow a hermetically sealed connection of the Bowden cables 4, 37 to the car lock housing 35. A lock case 39 surrounds the car lock housing 35 and at the same time serves as a bearing point for a further Bowden cable 40. The further Bowden cable 40 can be, for example, part of a closing device 41. The closing device then engages in a wet area of ​​the car lock 21 and can transition the locking mechanism from the pre-catch position to the main catch position. In order to be able to absorb large forces, a bearing point 42 for the closing device 41 is formed by the lock case 39.

[0035]

[0034] A plug socket 43 is also arranged in the lock housing cover 36, which simultaneously encloses electrical components 44 within the dry chamber 33.

[0036]

[0035] The design of the car lock according to the invention also makes it possible to manually activate the mechanical functions in the dry chamber of the car lock 1, 21. This not only simplifies the connection of the Bowden cables 4, 37, 40, but also has the advantage that the electrical, electronic and mechanical components can be contained within the car lock 1, 21, independent of environmental influences. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1, 21…Car locks, 2, 33…Dry chamber, 3, 35…Housing for automobile lock, 4, 37, 40…Bowden cable, 5…Bowden cable core, 6, 29... Levers, externally actuated levers, internally actuated levers, 7...operating lever, 8, 17…axis, 9, 23...Electric motors, 10, 24…Warm, 11...worm gear wheel, 12...Control outer shape part, 13, 39…Lock plate, lock case, 14…Bowden cable sheath, 15, 38…Plastic sleeve, 16, 34, 42...bearing points, 18, 30…Accompanying section, 19, 20, 31, 32...electrical contacts, 22...Anti-theft device, 25…worm wheel segment, 26…Adjustment lever, 27...open area, 28...Cylindrical extension, 36…Lock housing cover, 41...closing device, 43…plug socket, 44...Electrical components, P...arrow.

Claims

1. An automotive lock (1, 21), in particular a lock for a side door of a motor vehicle, comprising: a locking mechanism having a rotary latch and at least one pawl; an electric drive unit (7, 9, 11, 12) for releasing the block of the locking mechanism; and a lock housing (3, 35, 36) having a wet chamber and a dry chamber; characterized in that: the rotary latch can be blocked in at least one catch position by the pawl, the locking mechanism is arranged in the wet chamber, the drive unit (7, 9, 11, 12) is arranged in the dry chamber (2, 33), and at least one mechanical connection (4, 37, 40) is arranged on the lock housing (3, 35, 36) and protrudes into the dry chamber (2, 33) to actuate a mechanism (6, 29) arranged in the dry chamber (2, 33).

2. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking mechanism can be released by the mechanical connection (4, 37, 40).

3. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 2, characterized in that an anti-theft device (22) is arranged in the dry chamber (2, 33) and can be actuated by the mechanical connection (4, 37, 40).

4. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 3, characterized in that the anti-theft device (22) is electrically operable.

5. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 4, characterized in that the mechanical connection (4, 37, 40) is formed by a Bowden cable (4, 37, 40).

6. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 5, characterized in that the Bowden cable (4, 37, 40), in particular the Bowden cable sheath (14), is arranged sealed on the lock housing (3, 35, 36).

7. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 6, characterized in that the lock housing (3, 35, 36) is designed as a bearing point (16, 34, 42) for the Bowden cable connection.

8. At least one further mechanical connection (4, 37, 40) is arranged on the locking housing (3, 35, 36), protrudes into the wet chamber, and is capable of actuating a mechanism arranged in the wet chamber, characterized in that the automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 7.

9. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to claim 8, characterized in that the further mechanical connection part (4, 37, 40) is a Bowden cable.

10. The automotive lock (1, 21) according to any one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that two or more Bowden cables (4, 37, 40) are connected to the lock housing (3, 35, 36).

Images