Vehicle Door Lock Actuating Lever Neutral Region Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door lock devices experience inefficiencies due to time lags in motor energization stoppage leading to sector gear misalignment, resulting in prolonged door release times and increased rotating amounts required for complete-closing state release.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle door lock device featuring an actuating lever linked to an electric motor, with first and second neutrality detecting switches that generate specific detection signals to control the lever's rotation, ensuring precise alignment and reducing the total rotating amount needed for door release by establishing a virtual neutral region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electric motor is driven to rotate the actuating lever from the closing region to the neutral region, then the door holding state is released, but due to time lag in motor stoppage the sector gear stops at a position closer to the release region, resulting in prolonged release time and increased rotating amount
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by stopping the motor drive before the actuating lever actually reaches the neutral region. The control unit stops motor drive when the actuating lever reaches a position before the neutral region (determined by a predetermined rotating amount), thereby compensating for the time lag in motor stoppage and ensuring the sector gear stops at the correct position without overshooting into the release region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback from neutrality detecting switches to control motor operation. The first neutrality detecting switch detects when the actuating lever enters the neutral region, and the second neutrality detecting switch detects when it enters the release region. This feedback mechanism allows the control unit to precisely control motor stoppage timing, preventing the sector gear from stopping at incorrect positions and reducing unnecessary rotation.
2Reliability
If the electric motor is driven to rotate the actuating lever from the release region to the neutral region, then the door holding state is established, but due to time lag in motor stoppage the sector gear stops at a position closer to the closing region, resulting in prolonged closing time and increased rotating amount
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by stopping the motor drive before the actuating lever actually reaches the neutral region during closing operation. The control unit stops motor drive when the actuating lever reaches a position before the neutral region (determined by a predetermined rotating amount), thereby compensating for the time lag in motor stoppage and ensuring the sector gear stops at the correct position without overshooting into the closing region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback from neutrality detecting switches to control motor operation during closing. The first neutrality detecting switch detects when the actuating lever enters the neutral region, providing feedback to the control unit to stop motor drive at the appropriate time, preventing overshooting and reducing unnecessary rotation to improve operation efficiency.
3Device complexity
If a single neutrality detecting switch is used to detect the neutral region, then the device complexity is reduced, but the precision of neutral region detection is insufficient due to time lag in motor stoppage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the neutral region detection function into two separate neutrality detecting switches: the first neutrality detecting switch detects entry into the neutral region, and the second neutrality detecting switch detects entry into the release region. This segmentation allows for more precise detection of the neutral region boundaries, compensating for motor stoppage time lag and improving measurement precision without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control unit as an intermediary that processes signals from multiple neutrality detecting switches and determines the actual neutral region position. This intermediary component coordinates the detection signals and motor control, enabling precise neutral position detection despite the time lag in motor stoppage while maintaining reasonable system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle door lock device includes: an actuating lever linked to an electric motor, rotatable in a rotation regulating range, rotating in one direction toward a closing position on one end side of the rotation regulating range, thereby holding, in a complete-closing state, a door having been in a half-closed state, and rotating in the other direction toward a release position on the other end side, thereby releasing the holding of the door in the complete-closing state; a first neutrality detecting switch generating a first neutrality detection signal having logic switched at a first neutral position; and a second neutrality detecting switch generating a second neutrality detection signal having logics switched at a second neutral position and a release start position which are a boundary position of the neutral region on the closing position side, and a boundary position of the neutral region on the release position side, respectively.